Fear the Walking Maelstrom
by CarLost
Summary: Naruto's life is altered as he is sent to another dimension by none other than Sasuke, to save him from harm's way in their fight against Madara. A year and half later, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is still hopeful that the Uchiha finds him. But then, the dead begin to rise. What'll happen now to our favorite blonde and his newfound family? Rated M. Naruto x Alicia pairing later.
1. Chapter 1

**Fear the Walking Maelstrom**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fear The Walking Dead. Otherwise I would be very rich. But I'm not. Soooooooo…**

**Author's Note: Hello and welcome, fellow FTWD and Naruto fans! A couple things: This IS my first time trying to write a Fanfic. I've always had a big imagination when it comes to creating an entirely different story in my head between characters I've come to care for from different shows and types of entertainment. It just so happens that my favorite anime is the same one I grew up with, which would be our knucklehead, Naruto! Add on to that the fact that I'm rather very into zombies and the idea of a zom-pocalypse in general… So yeah, The Walking Dead and all that. With that in mind… Take it easy on me, y'all! Anyways, onwards with the story!**

"Dialogue" - Normal speaking

_Dialogue_ \- Thoughts

"**Dialogue"** \- Kurama

"_Dialogue"_ \- Over the phone/line

**CHAPTER 1: PILOT**

**-x-**

_**[Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles, California]**_

"Los Angeles," a blonde, spiky-haired teen-clad in a pair of black denim jeans, a leather jacket, with a white shirt under, and a pair of Chuck Taylors-mumbled to himself as he walked along the shore near Santa Monica pier, one of California's most famous tourist hotspots, "The 'City of Angels' they call it… It doesn't look or even FEEL angelic though…"

"**Damn brat…"** a voice rang inside the teenager's head as he aimlessly walked about, all the while taking in the quietness of the cool, morning beachline, "**Shut your whining already… I know exactly where this mumbling is going…"**

"Look, you damn, furried bastard," the teenager spoke just a bit louder as he shoved his hands into his jean-pockets, "All I'm saying is, it's taking a bit TOO long for that bastard Sasuke to open a portal and bring us back, you know? I'm getting a bit stir-crazy here, dammit…"

"**I don't know what else to tell you, Naruto,"** the voice spoke once more in an attempt to appease the blonde's evident frustration, **"We've gone through this a bajillion times already… After Sasuke pushed you through that weird-looking portal-in an attempt to get you out of Madara's way, no less-the both of us fell into unconsciousness. And, just like the other times we talked about this, I also said that he might have used a different type of portal, maybe-"**

"-Maybe one that transcends, not just time and space, but also reality, I know." Naruto cut the voice's rant off, feeling a little guilty for his rather childish actions, "I'm sorry, Kurama… I just don't know what to do. I don't know if our friends are still alive, or if they won, or if we're in the future, or an entirely different plane of reality. This is ANNOYING!"

A couple of morning joggers and surfers, getting ready to do their thing in the immediate vicinity, turned their attention towards the blonde, who finally noticed what his little outburst garnered, "Erm, sorry! Don't mind me!"

As the blonde sheepishly smiled and scratched his head at the onlookers who just decided to go back to what they were doing, Kurama spoke up once more.

"**I don't know what to do either, Naruto,"** the nine-tailed fox said in a somber tone, **"And you're right. Maybe they're alive. Maybe they're dead. Maybe they won, but maybe they lost. The point is, we don't know. We also don't know if we could go back or not. I don't have that kind of power and you don't either. But don't forget that you're not alone, brat. I'm here with you. We're in this together."**

Naruto stopped walking at once as Kurama's words rang in his head and could not help but smile and glance past the endless body of water and at the horizon.

"You're right…" Naruto whispered softly as he realized just how concerned his companion was to ACTUALLY sound like it too, "My bad."

"**You owe me for making me sound like a pussy too, dammit. I have a reputation to maintain,"** the nine-tailed fox then ruined the moment, though Naruto couldn't help the feeling that Kurama had an amused grin on his face, **"And shouldn't you be heading home? Your adoptive mom will get worried again."**

"I told her to call me if she needed anything. Don't worry," the blonde jinchuriki rebutted, though he decided to walk back towards the parking lot anyway, "I'll be home in time for din-"

Just then, Naruto's phone rang. Taking it out of his pocket, the blonde answered it.

"_Naruto, I swear, why is it so hard to contact you?"_ a female voice exasperatedly spoke from the other end of the line.

"Sorry, Madison!" Once again feeling rather sheepish, Naruto could only apologize and smile at the worried tone of his adoptive mother, "Probably the bad connection at the pier and all?"

"_You're all the way there!? You have class in a couple hours! You're not gonna skip again, are you!?"_ the voice belonging to Madison shouted rather loudly, making Naruto take the phone a few inches away from his ear, _"You know what, forget it. I don't wanna get into this again. Nick just turned up in the hospital this morning. Can you please meet us there?"_

Noticing the clear anxiety and concern in her voice, Naruto knew that now wasn't the time for jokes, and spoke clearly. "I'm on my way. Who else is going with you?"

"_Alicia and Travis, though we're all still at the house,"_ Madison answered abruptly, inwardly glad of how seriously Naruto took her words, _"We'll meet you there soon, alright?"_

"Yeah. Be safe, Mom." the blonde shinobi-in-disguise then hung up the phone and made a beeline towards the parking lot.

After a few seconds of confusion in where he parked the damn thing, Naruto set his eyes on a matte-black two-wheeler: A Yamaha YZF-R15.

"**You better hurry, brat,"** Kurama's amused voice boomed in the shinobi's head once more, while Naruto himself took out his key and inserted it into the ignition switch and started the engine. Revving the engine a bit, the blonde then put his matte-black helmet on,**"The next episode of the Clark Family Drama's showing in a few minutes."**

"Ain't that the truth?" Naruto whispered softly as he then began to head to his destination with a bit of haste, all the while his thoughts wandered to that fateful day he met his adoptive mother.

**-x-**

_**[FLASHBACK]**_

"So you really don't remember where you came from?" a dark-skinned, bald-headed, middle-aged man asked as he, along with two of his colleagues, sat in front of a sixteen-year-old, sunkissed, blue-eyed, spiky-haired blonde boy, with whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks.

"I've been telling you the same thing about an hour ago, old man," the teenager replied, evidently annoyed with the questioning, as he propped up his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand, "I've been homeless for the last three weeks. I don't remember where in the hell I am or 'which country I'm in.' My parents died when I was young and I've been fending for myself ever since."

While not exactly the whole truth, Naruto wasn't lying either. He doesn't know where he is because after three weeks of wandering about, the blonde shinobi-wearing his only clothing option, the orange-and-black tracksuit-learned that he isn't even remotely close to his country, much less his universe. Everything in this country relied on technology. What really made it click in the shinobi's head was the fact that, upon entering Sage Mode, Naruto couldn't sense a soul that could wield chakra, or had more than what was needed to be alive. For all intents and purposes, every single human being in this whole 'city'-a word he learned as he started to ask questions to strangers-were all civilians.

"So how did you get inside school grounds?" One of the dark-skinned man's colleagues spoke up, a middle-aged, curly-haired man, as he tried to stir the topic back on track, feeling rather put-off with how the young boy in front of them so casually spoke about his deceased parents.

"It wasn't that hard, really," the teen explained casually, as if it was no big deal he got caught, "There's a breach between those metal seats you have in the field and the metal fence behind it. I saw other kids walking around the grounds and I wanted to see what this academy did. That and I smelled the food and was hungry."

"...So let me get this straight," the female colleague spoke up this time, earning everyone's attention, "You broke into school grounds, through a breach in the fence, pretended to be a student, so you could get food?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds bad," Naruto mumbled weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down on the table guiltily, "Look, I really didn't mean any harm. All I wanted was to grab some bread or something, see how this academy works, and just sneak out. I'm not bad, I swear… I was just literally about to die of hunger…"

"By the looks of it, you don't even seem capable of walking a few feet, let alone 'sneak' around," the dark-skinned man rebuked, slightly concerned for the boy's well-being, "You look like you haven't eaten in a week, Mr. Uzumaki. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to call the cops. Maybe they could bring you in for more infor-"

"Artie, hold on," the female colleague cut in on the dark-skinned man, as she studied the blonde for a second more, "I don't think that's necessary. The kid's got no parents, he's obviously lost, and throwing him into the system might be more detrimental to him…"

"Then what do you suggest we do…?" the dark-skinned man, now identified as Artie, asked skeptically.

"Madison…" the curly-haired man, who has stayed quiet this whole time, called out to the blonde, female colleague in slight suspicion.

"Travis, relax," the female colleague, Madison, gently replied as she reached out to the curly-haired man, Travis, beside her and patted his arm, "I promise, I know what I'm doing. Now, would it be okay if Mr. Uzumaki and I take a walk? I believe he will be more compliant and forthcoming if he's comfortable."

"Or he could just bolt at the first chance he gets," Artie argued, in the hopes of making Madison see some reason. Then, as if to hide what he was about to say next, the dark-skinned man leaned in closer to Madison and whispered, "Look, I get that you sense a bit of your troubled son in him. Maybe you can help him too. I get it. But you can't save every child."

"I know that. All I'm saying is, this kid has a better chance of having a better life outside of that crappy system than in it," Madison reasoned out rather passionately, all the while, Naruto was just sitting there, slightly confused and inwardly amused at the sudden turn of events. The blonde woman then continued, "Just let me handle it, yeah? Now, if you'll both excuse me and Mr. Uzumaki."

With that, Madison stood up and patted Naruto's shoulder-who took the hint and stood up as well-and headed for the door. The blonde Jinchuriki followed suit, but not before turning around and bowing a little in a show of gratitude to the two remaining men in the room, slightly confused and worried for their friend and colleague.

As Naruto caught up and fell into step right beside the casually walking Madison, a sort of comfortable silence falls around them, with Madison leading Naruto out of the school and into the open courtyard in the middle of the campus, and Naruto just taking in the sights with his hands in his faded orange-and-black tracksuit.

After a couple minutes of just walking about amiably, Madison finally broke the silence. "You know, you're a pretty weird kid."

"How so?" Naruto asked casually, obviously not bothered by the woman's rather honest comment.

"Well, for starters, you're the first kid I've heard-seen-who would actually sneak INTO school to learn about it," the blonde woman explained as she stopped walking and took a seat on one of the several benches around the courtyard, "Lots of kids your age would sneak OUT of school, not in."

"What can I say?" the whiskered blonde replied as he copied her actions and sat on the other end of the bench, "I'm not like most kids my age. At least not here…"

If Madison heard the last part of what Naruto said, she didn't ask, nor did she show it.

"I can see that… How 'bout a deal?" the blonde woman asked, though she continued to look forward, "You seem like an honest, young man. To be frank, you seem really lost. As if you don't really know what you're doing. At least, that's what I noticed."

The shinobi stayed silent.

"I lost my husband a few years ago," Madison started softly, still looking out into the open area, with Naruto giving his full attention to the woman next to him, "At first, I was in denial. I didn't want to believe that he was gone. Then, after a couple days, it began to sink in. Don't get me wrong, I accepted it after those first few weeks. But I remember, after that, I didn't really know what to do anymore. I felt so lost. For a time, I didn't even have the strength to face my son and daughter.

"But because of them, as well as the people around me, I was able to find a new goal. A new reason to move forward and keep going: My family. My son and daughter, would they grow up to be upstanding citizens, if I'm not there to guide them? They already lost a father, would they lose a mother too? That's what I was thinking."

"...So, what are you tryin' to say here?" Naruto asked, slightly confused of Madison's sudden revelation of her past, "Don't get me wrong, it sucks that your husband passed. I know that feeling. No amount of explanations and justifications could take that type of pain away and I'm also glad to hear that you were able to move on from that pain and keep living. But what's all this got to do with me?"

"What I'm trying to say is, I see myself in you, Mr. Uzumaki," the blonde woman explained her side, now turning her gaze onto the blonde teen, "If you can promise me and you are willing to follow each and every rule I set for you, I would be willing to give you a roof over your head."

"So… you're gonna adopt me?" the whiskered blonde asked, slightly confused, yet inwardly hopeful.

"Something like that. Or we could call it a contract," Madison explained, a bit amused at the blonde teen's reaction, "You live with me and my children, I take care of your food, clothes, and anything else you need. In return, you help out around the house, you get a job and help support the family, and you keep an eye on my kids when I'm not around."

"...How do you know if I'm gonna even honor these conditions? For all you know, I could be a danger to you and your family." Naruto asked, a bit surprised at the unexpected turn of events, yet not really against the notion.

"Trust me, kid, I'm a good judge of character. I could tell if I could trust you or not from a mile away," the blonde woman explained as she smiled at the teen, "Besides, if you do turn out to be a danger, then I won't think twice in putting you in a world of pain."

"**This lady's got guts…"** Kurama's voice rang in the blonde Jinchuriki's head as he considered Madison's words, **"I like her already."**

"So?" Madison spoke once more, a confident smirk adorning her face, "Do we have a deal? Or would you rather go have the police pick you up?"

"Alright, I'm game." Naruto answered casually as he offered a handshake, "I'll be your little butler and babysitter to your kids, as well as help out around the house. In return, you provide stuff I need, like clothes, a bed, and all that stuff. Am I right?"

"Are you sure about this?" Madison asked as she studied the face of the blonde teen, as well as the hand stretched out in front of him, "I take deals and promises very seriously, you know. Once you agree to this, there's no backing out."

"I take promises seriously, too. I don't go back on promises, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed with a confident smile, then flinched inwardly upon hearing himself.

"Then it's a deal," Madison shook the teen's hand and the both of them smiled amicably at each other. The blonde woman then let the shake drop and stood up, Naruto following suit.

"I guess I should bring you home now," Madison said as she headed inside, Naruto following close behind, "We have a long night ahead of us. Alicia and Nick will be surprised, that's for sure… And for you, Mr. Uzumaki-"

"Naruto's fine, Ms. Clark."

"Alright, Naruto. You're gonna have to toss those clothes in the trash as soon as you get situated," Madison continued as the both of them made their way to the counselor's room, "Those clothes stink and you need a shower. Maybe get some food in you, yeah?"

"Aww… But I really like these clothes…" A little saddened at the inevitable, Naruto just quietly mumbled to himself as he remembered that Jiraiya. Then, as soon as he took a look at his current state and a whiff of himself, he realized that Madison was right. "Okay, you have a point."

"Don't worry, my husband still has some clothes at home. I think they'll fit you nicely," Madison explained casually as she and Naruto now stood in front of her desk, while she looked for her keys and belongings, "Then, as soon as you're done cleaning up, we can worry about dinner."

A few minutes later, the pair made their way to the parking lot, with a contemplating Naruto and a smiling Madison.

"You got any ramen?"

_**[END FLASHBACK]**_

**-x-**

_**[Half an hour later - Temple Hospital]**_

With a smile adorning his face, Naruto pulled up in front of the hospital that his adoptive brother, Nick, frequented. Parking his bike, the blonde took a second to just relax for a minute as he turned his engine off.

"Same old, same old," the blonde Jinchuriki mumbled to himself as he took his helmet off and pocketed his keys. He then glanced around the lot and took notice of a squad car parked in front of the hospital, "Uh-oh… That doesn't look good."

Without further ado, Naruto chained his helmet on the bike, unzipped his black, leather jacket, and made his way to the entrance of the hospital.

"Naruto!" a female voice exclaimed just as the whiskered blonde was about to enter the building.

"Mom!" the shinobi waved as he turned to his left and recognized Madison's voice.

"Glad you made it in time. Come on, let's get inside," Madison stated as she walked past Naruto and entered the hospital, with Travis alongside her as he sent a nod towards the shinobi's way.

Naruto for his part just waved lazily as he fell into step with the last person of the trio to arrive.

"Mornin', Whiskers," Alicia teased as she playfully bumped shoulders with the blonde, "I see you're dressed very nicely today. Finally got tired of the orange in your closet?"

"Ha-ha, you're funny, Ali," Naruto sarcastically replied, though if one could tell by the smile on his face, the banter had no ill will, "How about you? I'm guessing you woke up late again and wasn't able to brush your hair right, huh?"

Suddenly self-conscious, the brunette combed through her hair once as a slight blush appeared on her face, "Shut up, you jerk…"

"Hey, hey, don't get upset," Naruto could only chuckle and gently rub Alicia's back in an attempt to console her, "You're still one of the prettiest girls I know, Bad Hair Day and all."

If only Naruto looked a bit to the side, he would have noticed a deeper shade of blushing adorning Alicia's cheeks.

As it was, Madison and Travis were now talking to a dark-skinned, tall doctor as he led them deeper into the facility. The time for joking could wait.

As the doctor explained to Madison the physical injuries that Nick sustained, the blonde woman cut him off and asked about his 'Toxicology' or something.

The whiskered blonde just tuned it all out.

As they approached the room, Naruto heard the doctor say that police officers were here to ask Nick a few questions. Madison then stormed past him and went straight inside the room holding her wayward son, unceremoniously telling the officers to leave the premises if they weren't taking Nick into custody.

"What happened?" Madison asked heatedly as she looked at Nick's bedridden form.

"L.A. is not a pedestrian-friendly city." Nick answered sarcastically .

"Nick." the blonde woman pleaded, in the hopes that her son will be serious.

"I just tried to beat the light." the brown-haired junkie answered in return, making Madison sigh lightly in frustration.

"Why the restraints?" Madison asked, still not satisfied with Nick's answers.

Nick only shrugged his shoulder as he looked at his arms. "I don't know. Ask a lab coat."

Naruto, being the shinobi that he is-especially under the guidance of Kurama, who repeatedly (sometimes literally) beat it in his mind to study his surroundings better, now that he was in a new world-studied the varying reactions in his adoptive family members' faces. By far, he could tell that Madison was the most concerned, Travis too, while Alicia was rather upset.

To be honest, he kinda is too, if he was in Alicia's shoes. Nick had to get his shit together.

"Did you try to hurt yourself?" Madison asked as her concerns finally took over her initial anger at the situation.

"No, Mom," Nick answered in return, not wanting Madison to think he was suicidal at all, "Come on, it was an accident. It was just an accident."

"Alright, I'm gonna call for a bed," Madison made to move away, before her emotions began to get out of control.

"No, no, no." Nick pleaded, not wanting to cause anymore problems and definitely not wanting to go back to rehab, "Mom, no. Hey, I'm not going back."

"It's how we help you." Madison reasoned gently as she held her phone.

"No, 'we' can't help me." Nick stated in return.

"Listen to your mother, Nick." Travis finally spoke up as he was slightly getting tired of seeing the same scene happen over and over again, believing that Madison shouldn't go through this.

"You definitely can't help me." Nick answered Travis rather rudely, evidently disliking the man.

"Hey- Nick-" Madison attempted to diffuse the suddenly tense situation.

"You can't do shit," Nick continued, not listening to his mother, "Really."

Not liking the development, Naruto decided now was the best time to butt in.

"Yo, Nicky, how're you feeling?" the blonde asked as he moved from his spot behind Alicia, deftly reaching out for Alicia's hand and squeezing it gently and quickly, to which the brunette squeezed back, and making his way to the bedside opposite of Madison's.

"Hey, Whiskers!" Noticing who the voice belonged to and inwardly thankful for the interruption, Nick gladly shook the shinobi's hand, "Haven't seen you in a couple days. How's the bike?"

"She's a beauty, Nicky. You should ride with me sometime," Naruto proudly stated as his infectious smile spread throughout the room, with even Alicia slightly smirking at the amazing ability the blonde had for diffusing the tension, "Though I don't think you should with a hospital gown. It wouldn't do well for people to see your junk as we pass by."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Just then, the whiskered blonde's smile disappeared and so to did the comfortable aura that his smile brought.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, in the way that didn't feel like 'Naruto, the adopted, funny, and loving brother,' but more of the 'Naruto, the scary one,' as Nick once described to Alicia during a time almost a year ago when Nick got jumped by a couple of thugs and the shinobi saved his ass by beating them into a pulp.

Just then, Travis' phone rings, snapping Nick of his musings.

"I'll take this outside." With that, he stepped out of the room, Alicia following suit.

"Now, it's just me, you, and Naruto," Madison said as he glanced at the blonde, then to her son, "You KNOW you can trust him. And you sure as hell know you can trust me. So spill."

As Nick recounted his story-the actual story of what happened-and remembered the dying faces of the people he saw, as well as the bloodied and pale face of Gloria as she munched on one of her victim's faces, Naruto was attempting to identify what of it was a lie, the truth, and the drugs.

Right off the bat, he knew his adoptive brother wasn't lying. So it either meant that he was so gone during this whole thing that he believed every word he said, or this was the truth.

Madison for her part, could only look at Nick dejectedly as she rubbed his arms gently.

"I gotta go and get to work, Nick," Naruto's adoptive mom said as she leaned over to the brown-haired junkie and kissed his forehead, "Please behave 'til I get back. I'm gonna come by after school, I promise. Naruto, I better see you in class later."

"Okay, Mom." Nick just answered back regretfully. Just as Madison stepped out of the room-giving Naruto 'the look', to which the whiskered blonde just saluted-Nick spoke up, "She doesn't believe me, does she?"

"I mean, can you blame her?" Naruto answered softly as he watched the interaction between Travis and Madison from the other side of the glass, "It wouldn't be impossible for you to have just imagined the whole thing by yourself."

"So, you don't believe me too, huh?" Nick dejectedly surmised as he sadly smiled up at his adopted brother.

"Now, I didn't say that," Naruto said abruptly as he turned his serious gaze at Nick, "I believe you."

"W-what…?" A little surprised and puzzled at the unexpected answer from his brother, Nick didn't know what to say, "You do…? Why would you? Just like you said, it could be all just made-up by my mind."

"What if, on the off chance, that it is?" Naruto argued as he kept his confident gaze at the junkie, "Look, Nicky, I know that the drugs could just be the reason that's making you see these things, but it could also be that these things you described DID happen. I can't take that chance, and risk putting your life, Madison's, and Alicia's, in danger… You're all I've got here and I'll be damned if some man-eating… thing is gonna take that away from me."

Nick could only smile gratefully at the heartfelt words his brother said to him. "How could you just believe me easily?"

"Because if I don't, who will? I'm your brother, you dumbass, don't ever forget that," Naruto answered with a smirk on his face as he turned around and look out the window behind Nick's bed, "And honestly, there's way more scarier things out in the universe than a man-eating sicko…"

"How… would you know that?" Nick asked, doubtful of the whiskered blonde's words.

Suddenly realizing that he was thinking of beings like the Akatsuki, Madara and otherworldly summons from back home, Naruto could only rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "I m-mean there's the Bigfoot, and doctors and… and your mom. Yeah, your mom. She could be REALLY scary if she wants to."

"You're a dick, did you know that?" Nick expressed amusedly as the blonde's antics never failed to make him and his family smile.

"Anyways, I'd better head to school, before Madison gets on my ass about it again," Naruto said just as Travis opened the door to the room, "I'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah, well, I'll be here, behaving," Nick replied rather sarcastically, though in good nature as he shook Naruto's hand.

"Madison's waiting outside with Alicia," Travis stated as Naruto shook his hands on the way out.

"I guess, you're staying here then?" the shinobi asked as he turned around to face Travis.

"Yep, gotta watch over our friend here," Travis pointed behind him with his thumbs.

"Alright then, Professor M, I'll catch ya later," Turning around, Naruto headed for the door.

"You better be ready for that quiz tomorrow when I get back!" Travis smiled as he saw the blonde sag his head lower and wave back.

Making his way to the parking lot, once more, Naruto caught sight of Madison and Alicia waiting in their car by the front entrance. As he approached, he could see the look of discontent Alicia had.

"Naruto, you better be behind or in front of us, on the way to school," Madison stated loudly as Naruto approached Alicia's side of the vehicle and slid an arm around her shoulders, to which the brunette accepted.

"Yes, ma'am, I won't be skipping today, on account of my fear from my mother," Naruto teasingly replied as he smiled at Madison who was trying her best to stay mad, to no avail.

"Good to hear. You still good on gas? I could lend you some money." Madison offered with a smile, though inwardly, she knew that Naruto tried to be independent.

"Nah, I'm still good. Still got some cash leftover from my paycheck last month anyways, so I'll be fine," Just as expected, the whiskered blonde politely declined the offer with a smile, as he gently brushed his lips on Alicia's forehead, "Anyways, I should be on my way. Wouldn't want the school counselor getting on my case for being late now, would I?"

With that, Naruto waved goodbye and watched their car drive away while he made his way to his bike. Just as he was about to put his helmet on, another ambulance arrived and brought out two bloodied victims. Deciding that this was a frequent thing in hospitals, Naruto put his helmet on and turned his engine on.

As he began moving away from the hospital and onwards to school, he can't shake the feeling that there's something…weird_…_about today.

**-x-**

_**[An hour later - Paul R. Williams High School]**_

"Whiskers, you better hurry up or we'll be late to Chemistry. AGAIN." Alicia's chiding voice snapped a contemplating Naruto out of his thoughts as the both of them stoody in front of their lockers-which were conveniently placed right next to each other.

"Huh? Oh, right," With a bit of urgency Naruto unceremoniously chucked his helmet in his locker and took his chemistry book out, closing and locking his locker after.

As Naruto and Alicia made their way to second period, Naruto couldn't help but ask the dreaded question he's been afraid to ask the spitfire next to him. "Hey, Ali… I got a question…"

"Shoot," the brunette casually replied as she and Naruto made their way through the sea of students littering the hallway.

"Why is it that you… I don't know, hate Travis that much?" Naruto asked softly so as not to gain the ire of the girl beside him.

"What makes you say that?" Alicia asked in return, slightly not liking where this conversation was headed.

"I mean… I saw you literally glare lasers outta your eyes when Travis butted into your Mom's and Nick's argument earlier," Naruto explained as he smiled rather anxiously at the brunette from the corner of his eyes.

_She could literally kill me with her glares… I hope she doesn't get upset,_ the blonde thought.

"It's just that… Look, he just doesn't belong, alright? He's not blood. He isn't family and he definitely won't replace my dad. He doesn't belong with us." Alicia explained softly as she kept her gaze in front of her.

"...Does that mean that I'm not a part of your family…?" Naruto mumbled softly as he glanced down at his hands. Then, realizing what he had just said, he looked at Alicia.

_Me and my big mouth,_ the shinobi thought to himself.

"What?" Alicia said as she glared at the blonde beside her, her hands balled into fists, "DON'T justify your situation with his, Naruto. You KNOW you're family."

"No, I know, I'm just trying to say, he's-" the blonde shinobi attempted to calm her down, only to be interrupted by the now-upset Alicia.

"He's trying? To what? Replace my dad?" Alicia asked vehemently, all the while garnering the attention of several of the students around them, "I thought you'd be on my side on this one, Naruto. Guess I was wrong. Have fun in Chemistry."

Without so much as another word, the brunette stormed out of the building, with Naruto trying to follow her.

"Ali, wait!" the blonde attempted to call out to her, to no success. It was just _so _convenient how, as soon as she passed through the hallway, even _more _students came out of nowhere, blocking Naruto's path.

By the time he got through the doors, Naruto realized just why Alicia headed out this way.

"**Oh, look. It's Matt,"** Kurama's teasing voice rang out in Naruto's head, **"You know, your girl's boyfriend."**

"She isn't my girl," Naruto mumbled softly as he saw Alicia and Matt flirt a little bit near the bleachers, where other students were spray-painting the walls.

"**Well, obviously not,"** the nine-tailed demon-fox continued his ribbing, obviously amused by the development, **"Otherwise, she'd be hugging you."**

"_Kurama, shut up and go back to sleep."_ Naruto stated through his thoughts as he about-faced and headed to his stupid class.

**-x-**

_**[Later in the evening - Clark Household]**_

With Alicia still giving Naruto the cold shoulder and Madison most likely in the hospital with Nick, Naruto had nothing else to do and was currently sitting on the couch all alone. Alicia, without so much as a 'goodbye', walked out the front door as soon as she freshened up and dumped her backpack in her room.

The only thing she said, when Naruto said that Madison will probably look for her, was that she'll be 'at Matt's place.'

"There's literally nothing good to watch…" the blonde shinobi mumbled to himself as he continuously scrolled down on the list of channels on the TV screen.

"**Well then turn it off and stop your whining,"** Kurama commented inside Naruto's head.

"You're not really helping."

"**I wasn't trying to be."**

"Damned, furry bastard."

"**Idiotic brat."**

"I love you too."

"**Shouldn't you be saying that to Alicia?"**

"Shut up."

"**Hah, I win, you brat,"** Kurama said with a grin, which was unnoticed by his Jinchuriki, on account of him still scrolling through the menu. **"Wait."**

"What now?" Naruto asked, the boredom evident in his tone.

"**What if we check out that church that Nicky was talking about?"** Kurama suggested, making Naruto stop his unfruitful endeavor,** "On the off-chance that it's true, then we could prove that your adoptive brother was telling the truth."**

No words were said as the blonde went into his room and changed into a more… appropriate attire. One that Naruto's worn ever since he lost his favorite tracksuit and had to find something else to consider as ninja-attire for his occasional itch to look for trouble in the middle of the night.

His choice of clothing was reminiscent to the ANBU uniforms he saw back in Konoha, though obviously, it's still considered modern, tactical attire: slim, black cargo pants that are stretchy on the waist and thighs, tucked into a pair of black, tactical knee-high boots, a long-sleeved turtleneck tucked into the pants, and a black-and-orange, kevlar-tactical vest.

Metal, forearm and knee guards adorn the blonde's outfit, along with steel-plated gloves that fit like a second skin. Strapped onto the sides of both his shins are a pair of steel, arm-length tantos, with Durability Seals-One of the several things Naruto learned during his training trip with the previous Toad Sage. His kunai pouch, instead of being strapped onto his thigh, was now on his vest for easier access.

"A whopping number of four kunais. Great," Naruto mumbled dryly to himself at the shortage of his throwing weapons, "I don't have any shurikens either…"

"**Just be glad that technology in this dimension is so advanced that you bought your whole outfit in front of a screen,"** Kurama admonished the blonde's indignant attitude, as Naruto finished his ensemble with a black, face half-mask, a tactical cloak that went down below his waist, and last but not least, his forehead protector.

"Alright, I'm ready," Naruto stated aloud, though he realized a second later that it was just him and Kurama, who was inside his head.

"**The church near Needle Alley will be your destination,"** Kurama reminded the blonde, while Naruto climbed out his window to the backyard. Jumping up onto the roof, he listened to the nine-tailed fox's next instructions, **"That'll be a straight shot to your left, towards the little farmer's market Madison goes to every other weekend."**

"Got it." With an odd excitement in the pit of his stomach, the shinobi shot off into the rooftops, a reminiscent feeling of taking missions going through his mind.

**-x-**

_**[Fifteen minutes later - Church near Needle Alley]**_

Perched on a rooftop, opposite of the church from Nick's description, Naruto took in his surroundings.

_So, aside from how old and abandoned the church is, there's nothing really out-of-place,_ the shinobi thought as he surveyed the area.

"**Then, the next thing to do is check the inside…"** Kurama voiced out his container's next thought, **"Do you want me to begin gathering Nature energy?"**

_I don't think it'll be necessary… Are you sensing anything inside?_ Naruto asked silently in return.

"**That's the thing… I am sensing something… not quite alive…"** Kurama whispered softly, as if he was really concentrating on something else, **"…But not quite dead either."**

"A Reanimation Summoning…!?" Naruto whispered aloud, quite unsettled at the prospect of fighting a reanimated shinobi, "Did Madara follow me? Is it him?"

"**Naruto, calm down. It isn't him. If it was, you would have felt it, even without my help," **Kurama placated the boy, **"Focus on the mission. Besides, I feel even less chakra on these ones… It's like they're dead, but not fully…"**

_So there might be more than one… Great,_ the whiskered blonde thought as he took out one of his kunai. Just as he was about to hop down and get inside the church, an old, familiar pick-up truck stopped in front of the abandoned church.

_Travis…?_ the blonde thought as said person stepped out of the vehicle with a flashlight. Travis then approached the steel fence and attempted to open it, to no success.

"Looks like we had the same thought tonight," Naruto whispered aloud as he finally hopped down the rooftop, onto the concrete in order to follow Travis, who by now, found an entrance into the abandoned building through what appears to be a bathroom window.

"**Be careful, brat…"** the Tailed Beast warned his container as Naruto quietly climbed through the window after his English teacher.

Using Travis as a form of detection-in case something in front of them comes out, Travis will probably make noise-Naruto took his time in surveying and investigating each and every room, finding nothing of importance, aside from used needles and garbage in general.

Then, just as Travis swung open a door, a jittery figure jumped out of nowhere.

"Ah, don't!" the jittery figure, most likely a junkie, bellowed hysterically as Travis took a couple steps back, "Don't kill me!"

The erratic junkie then pinned Travis to the wall.

Faster than what the people of this world could comprehend, Naruto slammed his whole body onto the junkie, sending said junkie's body on the ground in an unconscious state. Travis could only stand in shock and anxiety as he waited for the black-clad figure-unknown to him was his fiancee's adopted son-to make its next move.

Sighing at the sudden turn of events and what he was about to do, Naruto turned around to face his soon-to-be step-dad. "What are you doing here, Professor M?" the whiskered blonde as he pulled his hoodback, letting his familiar, golden locks out.

"Naruto…?" the curly-haired professor questioned, confusion evident in his voice, as he took in the sight of one of his brightest-and most knuckleheaded-student, "I should be asking you the same thing. Does Madison know you're here? And…W-what exactly are you wearing?"

"We can talk about all that later," Naruto said softly as he turned around and crouched on the ground, studying the unconscious form of the junkie he just put to sleep, "It's not safe here. The longer we stay here, the higher the risks get. I'm guessing you wanted to see for yourself if my brother was insane or if he did in fact see what he said he saw?"

"Uh, yeah. I wanted to make sure. I know your Mom doesn't want to put Nick into rehab, or worse…" Travis answered the blonde, though still slightly taken aback by his student's sudden appearance, "What did you mean by risks? Do you think what Nick said really is true?"

"I don't know yet… but, on the off-chance that it is? Then at least, I wasn't caught unprepared." Naruto replied abruptly as he stood up and quietly stepped through the next room. "Stick close, Professor. Don't wanna have to lose you in this place."

Travis could only nod as the both of them now investigated the premises.

"There were signs of struggle," the whiskered blonde whispered just loud enough for Travis to hear as he pointed to the side of the staircase they were standing in front of and the trickle of what seems to be blood on the wall, a few hours old. Naruto then proceeded to climb said staircase.

The pair ended up in front of what seems to be the altar. The shinobi then turned around to scan their surroundings, hoping to find some clue of what happened.

"I smell blood in the air…" Naruto mused softly to himself, though Travis heard him mumble, albeit barely audibly. The blonde then walked through the middle of the divided pews, urging the curly-haired man to follow suit. Then, just as quickly, Naruto halted and pointed down on the ground, to his left.

"There." the shinobi-in-disguise whispered as he then took out his own flashlight and pointed it on the ground.

Blood. Lots of it.

Travis, upon seeing and realizing what it was-along with the bloody chunks littered around it-couldn't help but feel the urge to puke his afternoon lunch. Naruto, on the other hand, took one of his gloves off and crouched down as he touched the blood with a finger.

"This blood's less than a day old, Professor…" Naruto explained to his companion, knowing just how shocked and slightly terrified Travis is at the moment, as he turned his gaze towards his adoptive mom's fiancee, "Whatever happened here… whoever this blood belonged to… they aren't here anymore. But I don't think we should wait here for whatever it is to come back… what do you think?"

"Y-yeah, let's get outta here." Travis answered, obviously a bit shaken up at the sight, as Naruto stood up and headed for the front door.

"**Well, that was a bust…"** Kurama stated rather frustratedly as Naruto exited the church, Travis following suit, **"I was sure something was in there…"**

_Maybe, you're just finally going senile,_ Naruto thought teasingly as he and Travis opened the front gate from the inside, _But joking aside, I was also sure something was there… Something's going on, Kurama. Something big. I can feel it._

"**You and me both, brat…"** Kurama replied one last time before he fell quiet once again.

**-x-**

**[Moments later - Outside the Church]**

"Naruto, let's go home." Travis said, earning the attention of the whiskered blonde who was looking at the abandoned church once more.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Naruto said as he finally turned away from the decrepit building and took his half-mask off, putting it inside his vest-pouch and pocketing his kunai. It wasn't long until both of them were on their way home.

"So, you wanna tell me why you look like a ninja-assassin?" Travis asked, amusement evident in his voice, while he kept his eyes straight as they drove along the street.

Naruto, who was enjoying the air that was going through the open window, sighed inwardly at being asked such a question. "Because I love dressing up as one. Hard to be seen in the dark and all that. Batman-style, you know."

"Fair point…" Travis answered in return, as he took a second glance at the blonde, "It definitely suits you, that's for sure. Oddly, if I may say, you look comfortable in it."

"Thanks, Prof." Naruto softly said as a slight smile adorned his face, silently thankful that Travis wasn't asking much into why he has clothes like this.

"Let me talk to your mom about it, alright? I know you might get in trouble if she finds out you went ahead and snuck in there too." the curly-haired man said as they neared the house, "Thanks, by the way… for, uh, saving me back there. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't."

"That's no big deal… I wouldn't want Mom to be sad and you're a pretty decent guy," Naruto answered casually as he closed his eyes for a little bit, "Besides, you teach me stuff I have trouble with outside of school. We're even in my books."

"That so?" Travis asked, a smile on his face, evidently glad at what the blonde said.

"Yup."

**-x-**

_**[The next day - Temple Hospital]**_

Deciding to forego his bike at home, Naruto carpooled with Alicia and Travis to the hospital. Madison didn't come home that night, notifying Travis beforehand that she was just going to spend it at Nick's bedside. All the while, the brunette was still on her silent treatment of the whiskered blonde and it was starting to seriously bother him.

Having arrived and currently making their way towards Nick's hospital room, Naruto built up the courage to approach the situation and went for it.

"Hey, Ali… I'm sorry about yesterday… I didn't mean for you to get upset, you know?" the blonde softly apologized as the two of them walked a little bit behind Travis.

"I-I know…" Finally budging, Alicia gazed at Naruto's now-smiling face-evidently because she talked to him again-and couldn't help but mirror his expression, "I can be a bit irrational sometimes, too… I'm sorry."

"…So we're cool?" Naruto asked, his voice full of hope, as he kept his eyes on the brunette.

"…Yes." Alicia softly answered as she kept her eyes front.

"Yes!? Yes!" Naruto exclaimed rather excitedly as he smiled his megawatt-smile and threw his arm around the brunette's waist, pulling her towards him, "You're the best, Ali."

"Yeah, yeah," the brunette mumbled weakly, though inwardly, she enjoyed the physical contact and the positive effect that Naruto's presence gives her.

Travis then turned around and called them forward as the three of them entered the room where Nick and Madison were, with the blonde woman sleeping on her side right beside her son. Travis then came closer and leaned in towards Madison's ear.

"You got an hour before the first bell," the curly-haired man whispered in Madison ear, slowly rousing the woman from her sleep.

"Mm…" the guidance counselor opened her eyes slowly and focused on the still-sleeping form of Nick. She then slowly sat up and gazed at the people in the room, "Okay. I need coffee before anything…"

"Here's your change of clothes," Travis said as he handed her a paper-bag and assisted her in getting up.

Madison then made her way out of the room as she headed for the restroom.

"I'll be right back." the English teacher said as he turned around and patted the now-waking Nick's arm. Then, he stepped out to follow Madison.

"That was sweet, you and the step." Alicia commented as both adults left the room, with Naruto closing the door.

"Be nice, Ali," the blonde chided softly as he took a seat on the right side, at the foot of Nick's bed.

"Not our step." Nick mumbled weakly as he watched Alicia stand up from her seat by the door and check his food tray.

"Madison likes him," Naruto reminded the two of them, silently hoping that they just let their mom experience that happiness freely.

"Who knows?" Alicia interjected as she opened the lid on Nick's food to check it, She then pushed it closer to Nick and took up the spot opposite from Naruto, "She's used to disappointment."

Nick could only laugh while Alicia worked the electric bed to sitting position and Naruto smiled at the subtle, but evident amount of sibling love that Nick and Alicia have for each other.

"I know what you two think," Nick said as he closed his eyes and adjusted his position, "I know."

"And what would that be, Nicky?" Naruto asked while Alicia opened the jelly-filled plastic cup.

"What do I think?" Alicia asked as she took a spoon and began feeding Nick.

"The both of you are perfect and I'm not," Nick answered while Naruto poked Alicia's ribs in an attempt to get a rise out of her, all the while the brunette just raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes, "Hell, Naruto, you've only been around for a year and a half and already, you're turning out to be someone even I'm proud of. And Alicia, you know, you're going to Berkeley, while I got expelled from-"

Alicia chose that moment to gently shove a spoonful of jelly into her brother's mouth,

"-Citrus Community," Nick continued, undeterred by the mouthful of jelly he now has, while Alicia could only smile softly.

"That's bull and you know it," Naruto butted in, as turned his gaze to his adoptive brother, "Nick, you only got expelled because of these stupid drugs, not because you're dumb. I'd bet my motorbike that, if it wasn't for your dumbass addiction, you'd already be in Berkeley."

"I don't compare myself, Nick. You should know that," Alicia said as she also felt the same way as Naruto.

"You can't not." Nick argued as he munched on another spoonful of jelly, courtesy of his younger sister.

"Well, I don't compare myself with crazy," Alicia argued in return, then glanced at the blonde beside her, "Unless it's Whiskers over here. Then, I compare myself to crazy."

"What." Naruto said in mocking fashion, knowing that the brunette was trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not crazy," mumbled weakly to Alicia, as if he was silently pleading for the both of them to believe him.

"Well, you repeat the same behavior and expect different results," the brunette explained, clearly talking about his use of drugs, as she then passed the jelly to Naruto, who took a spoonful, "That's Merriam-Webster crazy."

"Hey, it's not gonna be like this anymore," the bed-ridden older brother declared as he took his younger sister's hand.

"It will…" Alicia solemnly denied to believe his words, knowing deep inside herself what the truth was.

"No."

"It'll be worse."

"Mm-mmm," Nick shook his head as he looked at both Alicia and Naruto as he rubbed circles on his younger sister's wrist with his thumb, "I'm ending it now. I'm choosing to."

"Okay." the brunette reluctantly relented.

"Okay?" the older one asked once more.

"Okay." Alicia nodded her head weakly as she looked downwards to her arm, where her older brother's hand rested.

"I'm the witness to this, just so the both of you know," Naruto interjected while he munched on Nick's jelly as he pointed at the junkie, "I'm gonna treat this as a promise from you to Ali. If you break it, I'm gonna beat your ass up, big brother."

Nick could only chuckle nervously as Naruto gently patted his thigh and grinned menacingly, knowing full well that the blonde was more than capable of following through with his threat.

"By the way, I went ahead and checked the place," Naruto casually stated, causing the oldest of the three to widen his eyes in surprise and slight anxiety. Alicia, on the other hand, felt confused as she didn't know what the whiskered blonde meant."Something bad happened there, Nicky. I don't know how in the hell, you escaped but I'm glad you did."

"Wait… you went to the church where Nick gets his high on?" Alicia fumed, rather annoyed at the fact that she wasn't included in the loop as she realized what the blonde was referring to.

"I did." Naruto responded, not bothered by the brunette's exclusive temper towards him.

"What did you see? Was Gloria there?" Nick asked, concern and fear evident in his voice as he unknowingly reached out and held tightly onto Naruto's arm.

"I didn't find anybody there, aside from another junkie… No flesh-eating sickos either…" the blonde whispered softly, so as to not garner any attention, "But I did find a puddle of blood and chunks of meat, less than a day old. Well, at least, when I checked, it was less than a day old."

"That was stupid and reckless, Naruto!" the brunette exclaimed a bit loudly as he glared daggers at the blonde knucklehead beside her, though thankfully no one outside the room heard and the only other patient in the room was still fast asleep, "That place is dangerous and you know it."

"I know, I know. Don't worry, I went with Travis. We had each other's backs," Naruto reasoned out as he stood up and went around the bed to set the jelly down on Nick's tray. The whiskered blonde then rested his arm around Alicia's shoulders, to which the strong-willed girl silently accepted, "Besides, I'm pretty strong myself. Those sickos cou-"

"-Could've seriously killed you, Naruto…" Nick interjected, cutting Naruto off from his self-praise, as he sent Naruto a slightly frightful look.

"The both of you really are siblings," Naruto said dryly as he then took a deep breath and tried to placate the other two, "I can't promise I won't do it again, alright? Because if it'll keep the two of you and Madison safe and out of harm's way, I would risk my life in a heartbeat. That's just how much I care about y'all. Even if sometimes, the headaches you bring are difficult to handle."

The Clark siblings could only stay quiet at the straightforwardness that their blonde friend explained his reasoning with, though they also couldn't help the smile that crept upon their lips as they looked at Naruto rub his neck gently and look away.

"Jerk," Alicia whispered just loud enough for the three of them to hear as she gently elbowed the whiskered blonde's rib, earning a chuckle from Nick and a yelp from Naruto, "Where do you get off being all charming and cool like that?"

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little, actually," Nick added his two-cents in, though the pleasant smile on his face betrayed his words.

"Shut up," Naruto mumbled as he rubbed his ribs, "You both know you like it."

**-x-**

_**[A few hours - Paul R. Williams High School]**_

Not wanting to go to his class after lunch, Naruto decided to opt out on History and spend the rest of his time on the school roof. Sitting on one of the ledges, Naruto sat cross-legged as he meditated.

Deep inside his psyche, Naruto and Kurama were having a rather heated spar, due to Kurama insisting that, since the blonde Jinchuriki's ability to use his chakra cloaks have all but disappeared, he should at least get the proper training in controlling his Sage Mode, whilst getting into some physical training.

"I still don't know how fighting in my mindscape helps in fighting out there!" Naruto yelled as he swung his arms out just in time to block one of the nine-tailed fox's tails and jumped back. The shinobi then made his most-famous hand-signs and sent his own volley of attacks towards the Tailed Beast.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto bellowed as smoke suddenly popped out of nowhere and dozens of copies of the whiskered blonde flew out towards Kurama at high speeds, every single one of them forming a condensed ball of energy in their hands.

"Rasengan Barrage!" shouted the clones in unison as they made contact with the Tailed Beast.

"**I hope you know just how impossible these attacks will be in a real battle,"** the fox said whilst he kept his tails and arms up to block most of the shinobi's attacks, **"Don't forget how low your chakra actually is compared to what it was before we were teleported to this universe. You wouldn't be able to make this many copies or repeatedly use-"**

"-Use my Rasengan, I know," the whiskered blonde cut his companion off as the both of them settled into their defensive stances once more, letting the smoke between them dissipate, "It just feels good to do so here, in the mindscape, is all. And you still haven't answered my question either."

"**You barely have enough time to train your mind and body, let alone your meditation, on account of your responsibilities to the Clark's and your side-jobs,"** the obviously irritated Kurama explained as he relaxed his body and sat down on his hunches, urging Naruto to do so also, **"I just want my Jinchuriki to be ready when the shit hits the fan. Can't let my reputation in being the strongest Tailed Beast be tarnished, after all, and by proxy, you're a part of me so you represent me."**

"You do know that I can't even access your demonic chakra, let alone use any of our cloaks, right?" Naruto argued back, sending a raised eyebrow towards the fox, "I could barely be called a Jinchuriki right now… But I do understand what you're saying. Something's about to go down. It's like the calm before the storm…"

"**I knew that brain of yours isn't just for show anymore! I'm proud of you, brat!"** the fox mocked, earning a glare from the shinobi, **"And anyways, just because you can't access my chakra, doesn't mean I can't assist you in battle. Like another set of eyes."**

"You know I'll always be grateful, you furry mutt," the Jinchuriki closed his eyes as he relaxed his breathing. Opening them back up after a minute, Naruto looked Kurama in the eyes with a smirk and continued, "Don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll face it head-on like we've always done! Anyways, I think this should be enough for today. School's out and I'm tryin' to catch Madison and visit the knucklehead."

Just as the blonde uttered those words in his mindscape, Naruto in the physical world then slowly opened his eyes.

"**Keep your head about you, brat,"** the nine-tails' voice softly rang in the shinobi's head while Naruto let the Nature energy in his veins disperse, his eyes going back from frog-like irises to his normal cerulean-blue, **"Whatever was in that church is still out there."**

"I know, Kurama," the blonde answered aloud as he calmly stood up from his sitting position and walked towards the very edge of the rooftops and looked down to the trees below. Taking a small hop and landing on the rails, Naruto then crouched a little. Then he jumped.

No words were said as Naruto soared through the sky, aimed towards the trees that are getting closer and closer by the second. Then, just before he made contact, the shinobi flipped and landed on one of the tree branches, with barely any sound made.

"Good thing, kids are still in class…" the whiskered blonde mumbled to himself as he surveyed his empty surroundings, seeing no one out in the forested area surrounding the school. Taking out a granola bar and sitting on a tree branch, Naruto decided to spend the remainder of his last class period munching on his snack while waiting for the last bell to ring.

Just as the whiskered blonde took the last bite of his granola bar, an audible ringing of the bell reverberated throughout the school grounds and a sea of children began pouring out of the front doors not a second later.

Deciding that now would be the best time to blend into the crowd and head over to his English teacher's pickup truck, Naruto gently hopped down to the ground and walked casually to the parking lot, glancing behind him occasionally to check if anyone saw him come down from the tree branches.

"Coast is clear," the whiskered blonde whispered to himself as he brought his hands behind his neck and whistled a happy tune.

"Whiskers!" a familiar, female voice yelled out from behind the shinobi's back, along with a gentle pat on the back. Turning his head around, Naruto smiled softly.

"Hey, Ali," Naruto spoke softly as he then noticed the rather pleasant smile the brunette sported on her face, "What's got you smiling so much?"

"Just that me and Matt are going to the beach today!" Alicia happily admitted as the two continued walking towards the parking lot.

"Well, isn't that just peachy!" the blonde replied, sarcasm leaking in his voice, as he kept his grin on his face.

"Oh, stop it, you. Matt's a really good guy," the brunette assured her adopted brother as the both of them hooked arms and kept walking towards Travis' now-visible pickup truck, "You would know that if you only gave him a chance."

"I know, I know. As long as you're happy," Naruto admitted as they now stood in front of their soon-to-be stepdad's vehicle, "But I swear, if he hurts you or does something you didn't agree to…"

"I know just how capable you are, Whiskers!" Alicia laughed, both amused and grateful at the amount of protectiveness the whiskered blonde had for her and her family, "Anyways, I'll see you later, alright? Say 'hi' to Big Brother for me, 'kay?"

"Will do, ma'am!" the shinobi agreed to do so as he teasingly saluted Alicia, who simply winked at him and went on her way.

Having no choice but to wait for Madison and Travis, Naruto instead just climbed on the truck bed and sat down on the ledges as he resumed his whistling.

"Naruto, we gotta go." Travis' voice halted Naruto and his whistling as the curly-haired man went straight to the driver's seat and unlocked the car, with Madison not far behind him as she talked on the phone. The expression on her face was anything but a good one.

"What's going on?" asked the shinobi as he hopped out of the truck bed and got in the backseat.

"Nick left the hospital when no one was looking. Your mom's talking to his nurse right now," answered Travis as he started the engine.

"Let's go." the blonde woman said as she opened the passenger door and got in.

Nothing was said as the trio drove away, and Naruto got the feeling that Madison and Travis wanted to keep it that way, at least for now. Nerves and all, the shinobi surmised.

It wasn't long until they arrived in the hospital. Knowing that Nick wouldn't be in the immediate vicinity, Naruto opted to stay in the car while the two adults went inside to verify Nick's disappearance. Once again, it didn't take long, as Madison and Travis came out of the hospital less than half an hour later, with Madison explaining to her adopted son that Nick disappeared right after the other patient in his assigned room suddenly flat-lined and had to be transported to a more-equipped room.

A bit adamant on her decision as the next-best lead, Madison insisted that they visited the abandoned church next. Though the shinobi didn't like the idea, he couldn't bring himself to go against his concerned mother, knowing just how difficult it is to worry about someone and hope for the best. It wasn't long before the three of them were now standing in front of the church.

With Naruto taking the lead, Travis and Madison-who was a bit reluctant at letting the blonde take point-behind the blonde, the trio traversed the inside of the church. Unbeknownst to them, the shinobi was quietly conversing with the Tailed Beast inside him, who concluded that the Tailed Beast didn't feel any negative emotions inside, nor was there that odd aura he felt the other day, at least not in their immediate surroundings.

After a rather unfruitful search-the only thing that Madison found was an old book that belonged to Nick-the three went back on the road, each one in varying levels of contemplation.

With nothing else to talk about-aside from the possible whereabouts of the wayward son-the shinobi and the two adults headed towards their final lead: Nick's childhood friend, Calvin.

After another silent drive towards Calvin's home, the three finally pulled up in front of the dark-skinned boy's front lawn.

"Cal." Madison called out as she jogged up the lawn at the dark-skinned boy who was busy vacuuming the inside of his family's van, Travis and Naruto right behind her, "Hey."

"Miss C. Mr. Manawa," Cal murmured aloud as the slightly confused boy stepped out of the van.

The three briefly exchanged pleasantries, all the while the shinobi silently stayed behind a few feet away, content with just listening to them talk.

"…You're looking for Nick." Cal guessed, seeing the familiar face of the blonde boy a few feet behind the two adults, briefly reminded of the seldom times when he would see Naruto and his troubled friend, and just how inseparable the two became after a time.

"Yeah, he was in an accident…" Madison softly admitted, "The cops picked him up. Have you seen him? He ran away from the hospital."

"No… I haven't seen him in a while," answered the dark-skinned boy.

"**He's lying."** Kurama's voice suddenly rang inside Naruto's head, prompting the blonde to narrow his eyes slightly, though he decided to keep quiet for now.

"You got any ideas where he'd go?" Travis asked, the hope in his voice evident.

"He wouldn't-no. He wouldn't hang where he used to…" Cal answered once more as he adopted a look of concern on his face, "He moved away from us."

Not getting anything from the nine-tailed fox, Naruto assumed that Cal was being honest this time, though he still felt that he should question the boy. _Why would he lie though…?_

The dark-skinned boy then offered the three of them entrance to his home, stating that he could make some calls and see whether anyone has caught wind of Nick's whereabouts. Travis opted to stay outside as he needed to make a call at the moment, leaving Naruto and Madison to go inside with Nick's childhood friend.

"Just gimme a minute, I gotta get my phone upstairs," said the dark-skinned boy, while Madison took a seat on the sofa in Cal's living room.

"Uh, you got a bathroom? I gotta take a leak." Naruto asked, deciding to stay standing.

"There's one upstairs. I'll lead you to it." Cal said, urging Naruto to follow him upstairs, leaving the blonde woman in the living room.

As they got up to the second floor of the house, Cal was just about to turn around and point the blonde teen in the right direction when, all of a sudden, he was taken by the collar of his shirt and pinned on the wall rather violently.

"Tell me what you really know. NOW." Naruto threateningly whispered as he glared at the boy under his arm and slowly took a kunai out of his inside-jacket-pocket and pointed it at Cal's throat, "You know what I'm capable of, Calvin. You were there when I beat up the thugs who jumped you and Nick a few months ago."

Indeed he was. Cal and Nick were walking back from the nearby burger joint after school to catch up-and for Nick to get his fix, but the blonde didn't know that-when all of a sudden, a group of teenagers the same age as them jumped the two. Cal was sure they belonged to a rival gang that also sold drugs and were ordered to take out their competition, which would be him. It just so happened that Nick was there… and wherever he or Alicia went, best believe that Naruto would be in the general vicinity to keep watch over them.

Safe to say, those thugs decided that coming back to try and finish the job was VERY bad for their health.

"I swear, man," Cal stuttered out, a little terrified at the fact that Naruto, the one who saved him before, was now pointing a rather sharp knife on his throat, "I don't know where Nick is. I haven't seen him in a whi-"

"I can tell if you're lying, you know," Naruto whispered menacingly as he added just a bit more pressure on Cal's neck, "You wanna test me? Keep lying and see what happens."

"I-I haven't s-seen him in a week and a half, man," Cal admitted truthfully, realizing that honesty would be the correct choice for his well-being.

"You really don't know where he is?" Naruto asked once more, letting up on the pressure on Cal's neck in the process.

"No. I swear!" Cal whispered loudly in return, trying and failing to struggle out of the blonde's surprising strength, "Believe me, man!"

"You had better be telling the truth, Calvin." Naruto said silently as he got off the slightly shaken boy and pocketed his kunai back. Then without another word, the blonde shinobi turned around and headed downstairs, leaving Cal equal parts confused and afraid.

A few minutes later, the dark-skinned man came down to the sight of Madison still in the same place and Naruto who was leaning on an armrest, scrolling through his phone.

"Anything?" Madison hopefully asked as the boy in question as he rubbed his neck slightly, looking a bit unnerved.

"No one in our group of friends have seen him," Cal answered softly as he nervously eyed the blonde, who was paying no mind to him. Looking back at the school counselor once more, the dark-skinned man continued, "Sorry, Miss C."

"Oh… That's okay. Thanks anyways, Cal," Madison glumly spoke as she stood up and walked towards the dark-skinned man. Giving him a gentle hug, Madison backed away, speaking once more, "We should get going. Let us know if you get any word about Nick, yeah?"

"Of course, Miss C."

**-x-**

Deciding to grab dinner out, the trio are now on their way back home, their search for Nick being unfruitful. Travis, being the hopeful person he is, tried to assure Madison of that her son will be found, though the blonde woman concluded that Nick didn't want to be found.

Having nothing else to say, Naruto let his adoptive mom and her fiance talk by themselves, as he knew that nothing could really be done at the moment, though it hurt him a bit, knowing that Madison was close to giving up on his troubled brother.

Just as he was about to doze off, the loud blaring of sirens and whirring helicopter blades invaded his ears, jolting the blonde awake.

"Whoa!" Travis yelped as he opened his door, only for a speeding police officer on his bike zoomed by.

"What's happening?" Naruto asked as Madison and Travis opened their doors and stepped up on the car edges, surveying the commotion in the middle of the exit ramp in front of them.

Just then, gunshots rang out.

"Get back in the truck." the English teacher instructed with alarm as he did the same thing.

"What the hell is happening?" asked the blonde woman, still looking past the traffic.

"Mom!" Naruto bellowed as he pulled on Madison's clothes, while Travis buckled his seatbelt and prepared to drive forward.

"We're getting outta here," Travis stated as he turned the wheel to the left, effectively turning the car in that direction, while Naruto and Madison attempted to make sense of the situation a few hundred feet from them.

"**Naruto…"** Kurama's wary voice called out from inside the blonde's mind as Naruto squinted his eyes at the commotion happening near the ambulance, where firemen and police officers congregated, **"I feel it… The same aura from the church. Not the exact same one, but something similar. It's them."**

Nothing else was said as the trio drove away.

**-x-**

_**[The next day - Paul R. Williams High School]**_

"What the hell…? Where's everyone?" Naruto asked under his breath as he arrived at school with Madison and Alicia, though the two women clearly heard him.

"I don't know… It must be because of that weird video that's been going around in the internet," Alicia answered as the three of them walked towards the school entrance, where Principal Costa stood by a school bus and was audibly talking with the driver.

"...Only five kids? What, did you miss a few stops?" the dark-skinned man said, the same one that found Naruto sneaking around school grounds a year and a half ago, as he trudged back inside the school, saying a few words to the two police officers standing guard in front.

"Artie! Wait up!" Madison called out to the Principal Costa, making him swivel his head around, as the blonde woman then turned to her two children, "I'll see the both of you after school. Be good!"

"Yes, Mom." Alicia and Naruto monotonously answered as the school counselor caught up with Artie.

"So what's this video you were talking about?" Naruto asked the brunette, obviously curious at the possible reason why a large number of the school populace was missing on a weekday.

"You, Travis and Mom were there, didn't you see?" Alicia asked, only getting a head-tilt from the whiskered blonde. Taking out her phone, she then clicked on a video and handed the phone to Naruto, "It's this."

In the video, a birds eye-view of an assumed dead man laid down on a stretcher was shown while a medic crouched down beside him and checked him for a pulse, as the previously deceased man slowly raised his hand. All of a sudden, the "dead" man grabbed the medic with both hands and pulled him closer to him. THEN, he took a big bite out of the medic's neck. A few seconds later, he was pulled off of the medic by a police officer and was pushed around for a bit, with the people around him not wanting to make any physical contact.

Then, a close-up shot of the same bloodied, shambling man slowly made his way towards a police officer who was rapidly unloading his pistol clip onto said man. What threw Naruto for a loop though was the fact that, even after getting shot multiple times in the chest and stomach area, the bloodied man continued to get up. Then, right before it tried to get up once more, the police officer aimed at its forehead and pulled the trigger. The bloodied man didn't get up after that.

"Holy shit…" Naruto cursed as he rewound the video and played it once more.

"That's what I said too after I saw it." the brunette admitted as she slowly led the slightly shocked blonde by the straps on his backpack towards their classroom.

"**It must be some form of Reanimation…"** the nine-tails' voice whispered inside the blonde's head, evidently just as disturbed as his Jinchuriki, **"Naruto… This one fed upon his own kind in this state. I'm definitely sure it isn't the Reanimation Summoning… However, something like this, to which the people of this world haven't seen or experienced before… This isn't good, to say the least."**

"I knew this peaceful life was too good to be true…" Naruto whispered to himself, not realizing that he uttered the words aloud, as Alicia gently took her device from the blonde's hand.

"Hm? Did you say something?" the brunette asked as she took her earphones off, seeing the whiskered blonde move his mouth but not being able to hear it a second ago.

"Huh? No, nothing. Let's go to class." With that, the two entered their classroom.

Two class periods later, Naruto was still contemplating about the video he watched. Off to his right, Alicia and two other girls were sitting down on the tables together as they watched the viral video of the bloodied man, whilst the Chemistry teacher lectured the rest of the students in the room-Naruto and three other students.

"Uh-oh. Looks like the professor's not taking shit today…" Naruto heard one of the students beside him whisper to another, as the Chemistry teacher stopped her lecture and approached Alicia and the two girls.

However, just as she was about to confiscate Alicia's phone, the P.A. system went on.

"_Good morning again, students,"_ Principal Costa's voice boomed in the speakers all around school, saving Alicia's phone, _"The district has decided today will be a half-day. Repeat, today will be a half-day. When the bell rings, proceed to your buses in a calm, orderly fashion."_

A knock just behind the whiskered blonde's seat made him turn around and make eye-contact with his adoptive mom.

"Do you mind?" Madison asked the Chemistry professor as she pointed at himself and the brunette, to which the old lady just nodded.

Madison then went on to tell Alicia that it was important she got on the school bus and head straight home, as everyone's on edge with the viral video of the bloodied man.

"What about Nick?" Alicia asked, trying to reason out with her mother.

"Well, you'll be there if he comes back." the blonde woman answered smoothly as the two woman looked at each other in the eyes, both mirroring the concern of the other.

"When he comes back." the brunette rephrased, worry evident in her expression.

"When." Madison nodded, putting her hand on Alicia's shoulder, "Yeah, go, baby."

"What about Naruto?" Alicia asked as she secured her backpack on her back, pointing at the whiskered blonde who was sporting a serious face.

"I'm gonna go help look for Nick. The more people looking, the faster we find him," Naruto answered as he took out his steel-plated gloves and zipped up his leather jacket up to his chest, "I have a feeling that time is of the essence here. Like, shit is about to seriously hit the fan."

"Going by your track record, that isn't good," Alicia admitted, knowing how pretty spot on her adoptive brother's gut-feelings could be. Then, without any warning, the brunette wrapped her arms around the whiskered blonde, "Be safe out there, alright? Keep Mom and her fiance safe. And find our idiot brother."

"It's a promise." Naruto calmly and confidently assured the girl hugging him as he wrapped his arms around her as well.

"Let's go, Naruto." Madison said, snapping the two of their little moment, though inwardly, the blonde woman was extremely glad at how protective and concerned Alicia has become towards Nick and Naruto. _It's all because of this blonde knucklehead._

"Text us when you get home, alright? We'll see you later," the shinobi said as he and Madison made their way outside, while Alicia went the other route towards the school buses.

"Hey," Travis's voice rang out from Madison's side as he patted her shoulder and kept pace with the two of them, "Let's get out of here before we get blocked in. I'll get the truck."

The three then stepped out the front entrance, with Naruto and Madison waiting by the side and Travis going ahead to get the truck. Turning around, the whiskered blonde saw Principal Costa approaching from behind them.

"Hey, Boss. Looking a bit tired, huh?" Naruto asked in an attempt to lighten the general mood.

"Tell me about it…" Artie took a deep breath as he rubbed his temples lightly and took notice of Madison's strained smile adorning her face, "I know that look, Clark. You wanna help out here but you gotta find your son first. Don't you worry, I'll keep the school in one piece."

The confident smile the Principal had after that declaration spread to the two blondes in front of him. Artie then turned back towards the shinobi. "Do me a favor, Uzumaki. Keep your mother and Travis safe for me. Could you do that?"

"I was gonna do that anyway, old man," Naruto smirked as he rolled his shoulders, "Don't worry about a thing. Your school counselor and English teacher will be safe with me!"

"Thank you, Artie." the blonde woman said, her voice filled with gratitude, as she enveloped her good friend and colleague.

"Let's go, guys!" Travis yelled from inside his truck, urging Madison to let go and turn towards him.

Their words already said, the two blondes made their way down the steps and into the truck.

"Let's bring home my brother."

**-x-**

_**[Two hours later - Somewhere near the L.A. river]**_

"The police just won't pick up!" Madison shouted in frustration as she tried to dial the police department for the upteenth time.

"Madison, calm down," the curly-haired English teacher attempted to calm her down as he patted her back tenderly, "We need to stay calm and think clearly."

The blonde woman closed her eyes and laced her fingers together as she bent down and placed her elbows on her lap, "How do we find him if we can't even contact the police!? What do we-"

Just then, Travis' phone rang.

"Hello?" the curly-haired man answered, shushing the two blondes with a raised finger, "Okay… Alright… No, stay where you are… I'll come and get you… Yeah, Naruto's with me… We'll see you in a bit."

Then, the phone call ended just like that.

"That was Nick. He's right beside the river." Travis explained as he put his phone down on the cup holder of his dashboard and put the gear into drive.

"Is he alright?" Madison asked, the anxiety and concern transparent on her face.

"He's going through it right now." answered the English teacher as he drove down the street, "We better hurry."

About fifteen or so minutes passed right before Madison saw the familiar head of brown, unkempt hair sitting on the sidewalk and pointed towards him. Without saying another word, Travis complied.

"I said I told you not to bring her," Nick said, clear anxiety in his body language, as he paced back and forth and pointed at his mom while the three of them stepped out of the car, "I told you not to bring her."

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you," Madison asked as she approached her troubled son.

"Travis, I said not to bring her." the brown-haired teen repeated himself, ignoring his mother, as he grabbed clammily at the English teacher's arm.

Madison tried to get his attention again, "Are you alr-"

Suddenly, Nick was sent stumbling back a few steps as the outstretched fist of the whiskered blonde invaded Travis and Madison's peripheral.

"That's for worrying your mom endlessly." Naruto stated calmly as he then straightened his posture and walked towards the slightly hunched and surprised junkie, who was holding a hand on his slowly-bruising cheek.

"This is for being alright, you dumbass," the blonde then enveloped the wide-eyed teen in a fierce hug.

"W-whiskers-!" Nick blurted out as he weakly tapped the blonde on his arms, his ability to breathe getting more difficult as the bear-hug continued.

"Oh! Sorry," Letting go quickly, the blonde stepped back and let Travis and Madison approach the troubled addict.

"I… I did a bad thing, guys," Nick whispered audibly, a little less jittery now due to the momentary clarity that Naruto's punch brought with it, as the two adults enveloped him with their arms, "I shot Calvin."

The troubled teenager then went on to explain how Calvin has been his supplier ever since he began taking drugs. That, after Madison and the other two visited the dark-skinned boy at his house, Calvin called Nick so that the two could meet and talk. When they did meet, Nick told him everything that he saw in the church and wondered whether it was the drugs or was he going crazy. The brown-haired junkie also said that Calvin reassured him and told Nick that he would take care of him. Then, he brought Nick to the river.

"He-he pulled a gun on me." His eyes closed and covered with his hands, Nick whispered softly as he took a shuddering breath, "He tried to kill me… I j-just wanted to know what was in-"

"We know, Nicky." Madison reassured the boy as she took him in her hands, "Where is he?"

No words were said as Naruto hopped on the truck-bed, while the other three rode inside the truck, with Nick pointing towards the alleyway behind them leading to the man-made river.

Stopping just in front of the ramp leading down onto the dry-concrete riverbed, the four passengers loaded out of the truck and approached the black two-door sedan that did in fact belong to Calvin just a few yards from the alleyway.

Madison and Travis then began calling out the dark-skinned boy's name, while the shinobi stayed quiet and surveyed his surroundings.

"He was here. He was right here!" the troubled teen hysterically exclaimed as he pointed on the passenger side of the car, where the door was open and a handgun was lying on the ground, "He was here! Right here!"

"There's nobody there, baby," Madison pointed out as she looked inside the car and around her, while Nick bent down on the ground and looked under the car, "There's nobody there."

"There's no one here, Nick." Travis concluded as he rubbed his forehead and looked around, finding no sign of the dark-skinned boy.

"Nicky. Hey," Naruto grabbed the brown-haired teen from the ground and pulled him up to his feet, while the delirious Nick rambled on about Calvin's body being here, "You remember what I said before? I believe you. I'm gonna need you to calm down though, alright?"

The junkie silently nodded his head, knowing that he could trust the blonde to believe him, as Naruto gently passed him to Madison's arms. The whiskered blonde then crouched low on the ground and picked up the gun and checked the clip. Satisfied at the bullets left, Naruto then handed it to Travis.

"What do you want me to do with that?" the curly-haired man asked, evidently confused with why his blonde student was handing him a loaded gun.

"You want to protect my mom, right? You can't do it with just your sweet kisses," Naruto reasoned out, his hands still outstretched with the gun, "Take it. I have a feeling you'll find it useful in the next few days or so."

Reluctantly, the curly-haired man took it-Travis was a man who disliked the idea of guns; having to take one, from a teenager no less, was a confusing occurence to him-and secured it on the back of his jeans, all the while, one sole question in his mind kept popping up as Travis thought about the blonde teen in front of him and their impromptu investigation two nights ago: _Who really is this kid?_

With the pistol out of his hands, Naruto then quickly searched the car for any useful items that he could scavenge from the car. Coming up empty on the backseat and the glove compartment, the whiskered blonde opened the trunk along with Travis-who caught on to what Naruto was doing and why-and they both slightly widened their eyes.

"These are real guns…" Travis mumbled softly as he picked up an Ithaca Model 37 shotgun, Madison and Nick peeking from behind his shoulders.

"I'm guessing military-grade weapons… Black market stuff," Naruto mumbled in return as he weighed an M27 Infantry Automatic rifle in his hands, "I guess our friend Calvin wasn't a drug dealer for nothing."

Without another word, the blonde Jinchuriki then grabbed the duffle bag that the guns were placed in and searched it thoroughly, finding extra clips, shotgun shells, and magazines for the guns they found, along with a tactical knife. Keeping the knife out and securing it in his inside-jacket pocket, the blonde turned his head towards the three beside him.

"We're taking these weapons, Mom. They might help us under these weird circumstances," Naruto reasoned out at Madison as he gingerly took the shotgun from Travis' hands and placed it inside the bag, zipping the bag in the process and placing the strap on his shoulder, "Is that alright?"

A little conflicted, Madison made to reply, "That might not be a good ide-"

Only to be interrupted by an audible moan that echoed from the alleyway.

"**Naruto…" **Kurama whispered inside the shinobi's head as the four of them turned towards their truck and the alleyway, noticing a figure lumbering towards them, **"It's one of them…"**

"Calvin…?" Madison murmured as the bloodied figure of the dark-skinned man awkwardly made his way to them.

"Cal, are you alright?" Travis asked as he uncertainly approached the bloodied boy, getting closer to him with each step, "We need to get you to a hospital, buddy."

"Stay away from him, Travis!" Nick shouted as he stepped back a couple feet away, pulling his mother with him.

"Cal, talk to m-" the English teacher made to try and talk to Calvin, as the boy moaned softly. Then he lunged.

"What-Calvin, get off!" Travis shouted, slightly panicking, as the bloodied boy tried to bury his teeth on his arm.

Just before Calvin could wound the curly-haired man, he was sent flying through the air a couple yards back as the monstrous punch of the blonde made contact with the bloodied boy's stomach.

"That isn't Calvin anymore." Naruto declared as he stood up straight and cracked his neck, keeping his eyes on the bloodied heap of what once was Calvin on the ground.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Madison asked as she enveloped her hysterical son in a tight hug, with Travis finally taking a few steps back behind the blonde.

"I mean, he's dead. He's not alive anymore, Madison." the blonde said in a tone that Madison rarely heard from her adopted son-only when Naruto was deadly serious-as he took out the tactical knife he found in the duffle bag, "He's something between a dead corpse and mindless cannibal. He isn't what we define as human anymore."

Unsheathing the knife from its case, the shinobi then turned to the three bewildered people behind him, looking mainly at Travis and Madison, "This is what I meant when I said that something bad was about to happen. These... things… They're, by all accounts, dead. Yet, they still walk around. I'm guessing the both of you saw the video that's going around?"

"Y-yeah. The one with the officer shooting someone repeatedly, yet the man didn't just drop. What about it?" Travis answered as he looked back and forth between Naruto and the slowly rising body of what used to be Calvin.

"The only way that officer permanently killed that… reanimation… was with a head-shot. So," Naruto then brought his attention back to the moaning corpse of Calvin, who was now dragging his mangled foot on the ground and began walking towards them once more, "I'm going to assume that the only thing that can permanently put them down is by beheading them, stabbing or slicing their heads off, or blunt-force trauma."

"**I knew it wasn't the Reanimation Summoning… But this is just… Unnatural."** the nine-tails' disconcerted voice echoed through the shinobi's head as Naruto then slowly began walking forward at the undead Calvin.

"W-what are you doing, Naruto!? Get back!" Nick cried out as he tried to pull away from Madison's grasp, only for both his mother and Travis to keep him back, "Mom! Get Naruto back!"

"Honey, your brother knows what he's doing," the school counselor said, though she was quite baffled at the frightening calmness her adoptive son was showing, as she held tight onto Nick, with Travis mirroring her thoughts and feelings.

Without another word, Naruto sprinted towards the staggering corpse of Calvin and buried his knife deep into its chest, then quickly taking a few steps back as Cal recoiled from the impact but remained standing.

He only continued moaning.

"I-impossible…" the wide-eyed Travis gasped as all three of them looked on in horror at the knife sticking out of Calvin's chest, yet the bloodied undead merely moaned and continued shuffling towards them, "He shouldn't be walking with his heart pierced…"

"I told you." Without turning around, Naruto took out his kunai this time and, once more, walked calmly towards the reanimated Calvin. As he neared the dark-skinned corpse, Calvin tried to grab at him, but the blonde knew better as he swatted the corpse's flailing arms with his free hand and grasped it's neck, halting it's progress.

Then, with all his might, Naruto stabbed his kunai into Calvin's head.

"Nick, you didn't go crazy." the shinobi stated audibly as he took out his knives from Calvin's permanently-dead body, letting it fall on the ground, and crouched right beside Calvin. "The world did, though."

"What the hell is happening…?" Madison asked as she and the other two approached Naruto and the dead body, while the whiskered blonde wiped his knives on Calvin's shirt and closed the corpse's eyes.

"I don't know, Mom…" Naruto said as he slowly stood up and sheathed his knife and pocket his kunai, all of them trying to take in what just happened, "I don't know."

**END CHAPTER 1**

**-x-**

**Important Facts**

-Naruto was 16 yrs. Old when he was teleported to this reality. A year and a half later, he is now 18 yrs. Old, which would just about explain his slight maturity, especially about combat and protecting his precious people, etc.

-Alicia is 17 while Nick is 19, making Nick the oldest.

He has a decent amount of knowledge in Sealing Techniques, having been taught by Jiraiya during their training trip, due to the reason that his dad, Minato, was one hell of a Sealing Expert.

-His more overpowered abilities, such as the Chakra cloaks and Sage of the Six Paths power, won't be used in this fanfic., making Naruto an all-around stronger individual than just about anyone else, but he can't throw around big, powerful moves anymore. (Mid-War Naruto)

-He still retains half of his chakra reserve, his chakra control, his Sage Mode, and the mind-link with Kurama, but there will be next to no nine-tailed energy usage. At least not yet (subject to change).

**Author's Note: Alright, this is the end of the first chapter of Fear the Walking Maelstrom. Kind of a slow start, but this DOES start at the same time as the first episode. That's probably how chapters will most likely be written-One episode equals one chapter. Anyways, that's pretty much it. Please review, follow, and favorite. See ya later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fear the Walking Maelstrom**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto or Fear the Walking Dead, there would already be LEGO sets for them. But I don't. Therefore, there are no LEGO sets based on them. I cri everytiem.**

**Author's Note: Damn, A lot of people actually like my story!? I'm honestly REALLY glad to hear such positive, supportive, and constructive opinions & criticism from you guys! A lot of the people who commented about the first chapter brought some flaws of the story into light, like Naruto's power level being high enough already even with only a hundredth of his chakra capacity or that he can't use his chakra cloaks. Worry not, my friends. Even though I am new to this whole writing business, I shall try my best to deliver an interesting and fun story, but the main reason I don't want Naruto to be too OP is because I don't want him to just hurl a rasen-shuriken this way and a bijuu-dama that way when he fights. AT LEAST NOT YET! Because then, the FTWD characters won't have the chance to grow and expose themselves to the dangers, like in the actual show. With that said, if you have any advice or opinions that you think would do good with the story, send them my way! Reviews are deeply appreciated!**

**P.S: I can't reveal anything concrete, but know that there's a reason why Naruto can't access Kurama's chakra… dun-dUN-DUN! I have worked out the kinks in the details as to the "Why" and "How" of the story.**

"Dialogue" - Normal speaking

_Dialogue_ \- Thoughts

"**Dialogue"** \- Kurama

"_Dialogue"_ \- Over the phone/line

**CHAPTER 2: SALAZAR'S CUTS**

**-x-**

"OHHHHH FUUUUUUCK!" Naruto bellowed frantically while he held for dear life on the truck-bed, just as the pickup truck reversed out of the alleyway and into the road. Right in the way of a semi.

"Travis!" Madison exasperatedly yelled out while she tried to make a call on her phone, just as Travis pulled out of the way, in time for the semi to honk its horns and come to a screeching halt.

"I'm sorry!" the curly-haired man uneasily apologized as he shifted gears and began driving forward, "Sorry."

"I swear, remind me not to get in a car with you driving again!" the blonde shinobi cried out as he calmed his beating heart whilst holding onto the rails. Then he mumbled softly to himself, "This is why I prefer my bike… Or tree-hopping…"

Picking up his phone with his free hand, Travis tried to make a call, only for it to go straight to voicemail. Sighing, the English teacher spoke into the phone, "Chris, it's an emergency, man. Call me right back."

"_It's Alicia. Leave a message."_ Madison's phone voiced out as the blonde woman called her daughter, just for it to go to her voicemail as well. The rather shaken school counselor then spoke into the phone, "Baby, call me back. Call me back right away."

"Try the house." Travis stated, deducing that the teenage brunette didn't pick up either.

"Chris being the rebellious child again, Travis?" Naruto asked through the small, open window behind the front seat as he tapped the curly-haired man on the shoulder.

"Yeah. It's going straight to voicemail…" Travis answered, frustration evident on his face, as he continued to drive, "Dammit."

Meanwhile, Nick fiddled with the radio._ "There's been a massive spike in the officer-related shootings in the last forty-eight hours…"_ a voice on the radio announced.

"Nick, stop, please," the English teacher begged slightly, but the troubled teen ignored him.

Changing the station once again, Nick tried to listen to another announcer, _"...and people act like this doesn't change everything. It does. This is a catastrophe of biblical proportions… We are losing the best pocket passer in the league!"_

Slightly vexed, the brown-haired teen tuned the radio once more.

"Nick!" Travis yelled irritatedly while he tried to dial his son once more.

"No one's talking about this. No one's saying anything." Nick confusedly mumbled, catching Naruto's attention, as he leaned back to his seat once more.

"I don't think the population knows what's going on exactly…" the whiskered blonde added on, as he leaned on the rails so he could speak into the window, "Not until they see it themselves, at least…"

"We need to get away from the city. We need to get away from people," Travis announced as he glanced at Madison for a second, then right back on the road, "Just grab Alicia, Liza, Chris, and just go until we know what this thing is."

"The desert?" Madison suggested.

"Yeah," the English teacher answered, "It'll be okay there. We'll be safe."

"Are you sure about that? If we're gonna try to tough it out away from the cities…" Naruto asked aloud, trying to think rationally about the situation, "We would need to be close to resources… to water… and stuff. Like the mountains…"

Just then, Madison's phone rang.

Answering the call, Madison spoke into the phone once more, "Alicia, where the hell are you?"

"_Mom."_ the brunette mumbled out, seemingly nervous.

"Listen, we got Nick. We're coming to get you," the blonde woman continued, her voice quivering just a little, "I need you to pack some things for us, load up some groceries, okay?"

"_No, I can't- "_ Alicia answered back.

"We're going out of town," Madison explained, cutting off her daughter.

"_What? No. I can't."_ the brunette said once more.

"Why? What's wrong?" Madison asked, slightly bewildered at her daughter's continued refusal.

"_He's sick… He's really sick."_ Alicia answered, her voice once again filled with anxiety. By this point, all the passengers of the car were listening to the conversation due to the rather loud discussion.

"Who? Who's sick?" the school counselor asked into the phone, deeply concerned as to who Alicia was talking about.

"_Matt."_ the brown-haired spitfire answered, _"His fever's, like, a hundred and three."_

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, trying to listen in on Alicia and gauge the situation from his mother's reaction, but was ignored as Madison continued to listen to Alicia on the line.

"_I tried to get him in the bath, but it hurts when I touch him."_ Alicia explained as the frustration in her tone bled through the line.

"Don't- don't touch him," Madison ordered her daughter as she thought of the bloody corpse of Calvin, "I need you to call 9-1-1."

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, getting slightly worried at the increasingly perplexed tone of his adoptive mom.

"_I tried,"_ Alicia responded, _"It- It's busy. His parents are in Vegas. They're not picking up."_

"Okay, we're coming to get you," the blonde woman decided as she glanced at Travis for confirmation, to which the curly-haired man just nodded, "But just… stay away from Matt until we get there, okay?"

Just then, static crackled through the line.

"Alicia?" Madison exclaimed as she merely shook her head in puzzlement, "Alicia!"

"We're ten minutes away." Travis concluded, in the hopes of calming down the rest of the truck's occupants.

**-x-**

_**[A few minutes earlier - Somewhere in Downtown, Los Angeles]**_

A teenager with wavy, shoulder-length, black hair made his way to the back of the bus he just got into. Sitting down towards the back, the boy glanced back at the group of guys around his age at the front, who wouldn't let him pass in peace just a minute ago.

Shaking his head slightly, the teen then looked back down at his now-ringing phone. Reading his father's callsign, the boy thought twice about answering it.

A second later, he declined the call and put his earbuds on, blasting his music to drown out his surroundings.

Merely a second after, a notification rang out from his earbuds, causing the boy to once again look at his phone, where a voicemail was apparently received. Unlocking his phone, the curly-haired teen then made to listen to the recording.

"_Chris, it's an emergency, man,"_ the voice belonging to his father uttered loudly, seemingly in an urgent state, _"Call me right back."_

Scoffing lightly, the boy named Chris merely ended the recording and deleted it.

**-x-**

_**[Ten minutes or so later - Matt's house]**_

The passengers of Travis' pickup exited the vehicle, with Madison walking up to the front door, Nick and Travis not far behind.

_You feel anything?_ Naruto asked in his mind as he hopped out of the truck-bed.

"**Nothing out of the usual…"** Kurama answered in the shinobi's mind, while Naruto glanced around and surveyed the driveway, **"Keep your eyes peeled though. We don't know how this… sickness works."**

_Copy that,_ Naruto answered and the mind link was dropped.

Following Travis and Nick inside and closing the door on his way in, the blonde studied the house. Aside from the mess in the living room, where the blonde surmised Matt weakly stumbled through, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"No moany, grabby, reanimated people…" Naruto mumbled to himself as he went to the room past the kitchen, where the rest of his adoptive family were headed.

"Alicia, move away from him." the blonde heard Madison softly order Alicia as she entered the room and laid eyes on the sick Matt and her daughter beside him.

Alicia only looked on, puzzled, as she took the moist towelette off of Matt's forehead, "What's wrong with you?"

"People are getting sick," the blonde woman explained, just as Travis and Naruto entered the room, "It could be contagious."

"If he has it, I have it." Alicia stubbornly rebutted as she continued her ministrations on her unwell lover.

"Ali, c'mon…" Naruto pleaded slightly as he stepped deeper into the room and took Matt's other side. Alicia looked at him, feeling more and more bewildered with every passing second, as the blonde stood next to the bed frame.

"Alicia, can I talk to him?" Travis asked, earning Alicia's attention, "Please?"

Hesitantly, Alicia stood up from her position beside her boyfriend and switched places with Travis, as the English teacher kneeled beside the boy.

"Hey, Matt," Travis asked as he and Naruto surveyed the boy's appearance closer, "Where are your folks?"

Weakly turning his head, Matt struggled to speak aloud, "They should be home soon…"

"They're driving home today." Alicia explained further as she crossed her arms.

"When did this start?" Travis asked as he turned to face the brunette.

Alicia took a second to gather her thoughts, feeling rather unsettled at how her mom, step-dad, and adopted brother were acting, "He was supposed to meet me at the beach yesterday and… never showed up."

"Here we go," Travis uttered, when Matt suddenly coughed weakly, as he grabbed the empty glass beside the boy's bed. Keeping his eye on the boy, the curly-haired man passed the glass over his shoulders, "Alicia would- would you?"

The brunette complied without a word and turned around as she walked out of the room.

**-x-**

Meanwhile, Nick decided to go for a little scavenger hunt around Matt's house. Entering the bathroom, the brown-haired teen quickly went for the sink drawers in search of his treasure: drugs.

A few more drawers later, yet the junkie came up empty. "Come on…" Nick mumbled as he moved onto the cabinet outside the bathroom, shifting the contents inside said cabinet in frustration, "Come on…!"

**-x-**

Travis slowly pulled the bandages off of the sick teenager's shoulders, causing Matt to audibly groan.

"What are you doing?" Madison asked, bewildered at her fiance's actions.

Then, both the adults recognized the wound.

"Is that a bite?" the blonde woman asked, disbelief evident in her tone, while the English teacher could only look at the bloody wound.

"...Yeah." the unwell boy nodded as he opened his eyes slightly.

"Is that how it happens?" Madison asked aloud.

"I don't know…" Travis shook his head, as he and the two blondes in the room contemplated the possibility, "I mean, Calvin was shot. It wasn't-wasn't like-it wasn't like this. Get Alicia."

Just then, the brunette in question walked back in the room, glass of water in hand, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm gonna call 9-1-1 from the car," the school counselor decided as she turned around and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Okay, I'll wait for them here." Alicia declared, the confused feeling she had earlier still apparent.

"No, go outside- " Madison pleaded.

"Mom!" the daughter raised her voice a little, feeling rather vexed at this point.

"Don't do this- " the mother continued as she tried to push her daughter out of the room with her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alicia asked, resisting her mom, "Are you psychotic? He's sick!"

"Mom!" Naruto called out as he walked up to the two and rested his hand on Madison's shoulder, "It's okay. I'll stay here while she and Matt talk for a couple more minutes, then we'll all go home, alright?"

The blonde woman took a second to contemplate on her adopted son's words, whilst the rest of the room's occupants waited silently. Then, without another word, Madison nodded and stepped to the side, prompting Travis to stand up and let Alicia sit by her lover once more, as he lead her out.

"Hey, Matt," Naruto amicably called out to the bedridden boy as he sat on the other side of the bed, urging Matt to weakly turn his head towards the shinobi-in-disguise, "Buddy, it's me, Naruto. Do you know who I am?"

"Y-yeah…" the sickly teen answered softly, grinning a little at the blonde, "You're Alicia's very protective and cool, adopted brother…"

Naruto smiled slightly, inwardly delighted at how Alicia described him. Getting back on track, the whiskered blonde lost his smile and asked softly, "Do you remember how you got sick? And why you have a bite mark on your shoulder?"

"I-I do…" Matt answered, as he closed his eyes and struggled to remember the events of yesterday, "I was walking to the beach after school yesterday… The sun had already set, so it was a bit dark… While I was walking on the street, this weird-looking girl… She was probably like a high-schooler too, or something… She looked sick and she was walking like she was drunk…"

Matt then glanced at Alicia, a horrified look adorning his face. Turning back to the blonde, he continued, "So I walked a little closer and asked… If she was okay… She wouldn't answer, but it looked like she was trying to hold onto something for balance… so I went up in front of her…"

"Then? What happened?" Alicia asked in trepidation, as her lover turned his head towards her once more.

"All of a sudden… She was holding me hella tightly… and then, she bit me on the shoulder…" Matt whispered, tears flowing down on his face at this point, as the fear on his face became more evident, "Fucking took a chunk outta me, 'Licia…"

"Shhh…" the brunette murmured, her eyes getting watery as well, as she hugged the boy in front of her, "It's gonna be alright…"

"What happened to the girl?" Naruto asked, interrupting the couple's moment, though neither Alicia nor Matt seemed to mind as the sickly boy continued.

"I don't know…" Matt shrugged his shoulders a little, while Alicia wiped the sweat and tears off of his face. She then took the water and gave the boy a sip. A second later, Matt continued, "After I pushed her off of me… I got up and ran home…"

"I see…" the whiskered blonde nodded softly. A second later, he stood up and addressed Alicia, "I'll give you two a minute. Then, we gotta go."

Giving Matt a soft pat on the shoulder, the shinobi stepped out and leaned against the wall outside of the room.

With just the two of them left, Matt looked into Alicia's eyes and held both her hands with his own, "Listen to me. My parents will be home soon. You know I'll be fine. You know that."

"No, I'm not leaving you." the brunette insisted as she adjusted herself to sit closer to the boy, "I love you."

Matt could do nothing more than smile softly and gaze at the beautiful girl in front of her. Weakly tracing the marker-drawing of a heart that he drew on her forearm, Matt spoke up once again, "I love you, too. That's why you gotta go. Okay?"

Now, it was Alicia's turn to stay silent and just look into the eyes of her lover with tears threatening to fall down her own.

"You gotta go." Matt insisted, yet Alicia just weakly shook her head. The sickly boy then repeated the word once more, this time a bit more resolutely, "Go."

Relenting to her boyfriend, Alicia silently hugged Matt as tight as she could, with the boy returning the gesture.

"Ali…" Naruto's voice softly echoed into the room, prompting Matt to look at the blonde who entered once more. Letting go of the girl, Matt then nudged Alicia to get off, with the girl reluctantly doing so. Then, without another word, she stood up and walked out.

"Thank you." Naruto said, a genuine expression on his face, as he and Matt looked at each other.

"Keep her safe, man," the sickly boy muttered as he tried to hold in a cough, "P-please…"

"I promise."

**-x-**

_**[Meanwhile - Somewhere in Downtown, Los Angeles]**_

Chris silently listened to his music, all the while feeling a little impatient at the slow-moving traffic he's currently stuck in.

_Of all the days to get stuck during traffic…_, the black-haired teen thought to himself as he slightly bounced his knee up and down.

All of a sudden, the wailing of sirens entered his hearing. Standing up to get a better view, Chris then turned around and leaned closer to the bus window, just as an ambulance cut through the sidewalk and passed by right beside the unmoving bus.

As Chris followed the ambulance maneuver through traffic, slowly swiveling his head in the process, a round, asian man came into the bus and yelled, "Cops shot some homeless dude. Shot him, like, twenty times!"

He then exited the transit as quickly as he arrived, prompting the majority of the passengers to get up from their seats and follow the man out. Within seconds, he was the only passenger left on the bus.

_I don't think the bus will move anytime soon…_, Chris contemplated inwardly as he looked through the windows once more, unsure of what to do.

Then, seemingly making up his mind, the teenager strapped his backpack a bit tighter and headed for the bus doors, _Screw it._

**-x-**

_**[Twenty minutes later - Clark Household]**_

Having just pulled up into their driveway, the occupants of the pickup truck got out of the vehicle, with Alicia silently making her way up to the front porch, a look of anger framing her face. Noticing this, the whiskered blonde quickly hopped off the truck-bed and stretched his legs.

"Alicia." Madison called out as she closed her passenger door, but was ignored by the rather furious teen.

"I'll talk to her," Naruto decided as he passed by her, patting her shoulder, and followed Alicia inside.

"Hey, Travis!" One of their neighbors across the driveway-a middle-aged woman who was setting up decorations on their front lawn, along with her daughter, husband, and their German Shepherd-called out to the curly-haired man.

"You having a party?" Travis asked while Nick came out of the driver's side and closed the door.

"Yeah," the middle-aged woman answered as she glanced around her lawn, her daughter jogging up to her, "You should come by. Gladys is nine. You believe that? It's so scary."

"That's great." the English teacher admitted, just as Madison came around and stood behind Travis and Nick.

"Got a ton of food… We're getting a bunch of cancels though, 'cause of that bug going around." their neighbor admitted as she continued wrapping their mailbox in decor, while waving and smiling at them, "So we'll see you."

"Okay," Travis smiled back and waved along with his fiance, just as Nick made to head indoors, "Okay, thanks."

Just as the two of them turned around and walked towards the door, the English teacher noticed their neighbor beside their house load up tons of bottled water, jugs of gasoline and other things into the back of his SUV.

"Peter's got the right idea," Travis whispered to Madison as he turned to look at her, then headed up to the front porch. The blonde woman then waved weakly at her neighbor who caught sight of her. Peter attempted to return the gesture.

Then, he coughed rather profusely.

Madison could only look on silently as she thought about the possibility that Peter might be one of… those things.

**-x-**

"Mom, are you gonna tell her?" Nick's voice caught Madison's attention as she closed and locked the front door behind her and made her way to the living room, "Mrs. Cruz?"

"Tell her what?" the blonde woman asked as she took off her jacket and looked at her son kneel on a chair next to the windows and gaze through the blinds overlooking the driveway.

"What's happening."

"Nick, we don't know what's happening."

"Well, we know more than she does." Nick countered as he turned his head to look at his mother.

Relenting to her son's unspoken wish, Madison walked towards the brown-haired teen and straightened her jacket in her arms, "Okay, I'll talk to her. I'll tell her."

Letting go of the blinds, the troubled teen then sat down on the chair under him and spoke as he looked out across the driveway, where Mrs. Cruz and her family continued to decorate, "It's just like… no one's paying attention. It's like it's not real."

"It is." the school counselor murmured as she set her jacket down on the couch and stood right beside her son, "It's real."

"Hey," Madison continued as she leaned over and rested her hand on Nick's cheek. Then, fully crouching down to the ground, she spoke as she held both of Nick's hands, "You showed us what happened. Your brother was there and he took that… he took Calvin down. He believes that it's real, too. He told you so, remember?"

Taking a few shuddering breaths, Nick closed his eyes and took a second to calm himself. Opening them back up, the troubled teen then looked at his mother straight in the eyes, "I'm about to step into… a world of shit. You know that, right?" Nick smiled miserably as he asked.

Nodding weakly, Madison could only steel herself and be strong for her son, "Yeah."

**-x-**

Wanting to be left alone for the time being, Alicia sat cross-legged on top of her bed, as she whimpered softly into her hands, the events of less than an hour ago boggling her mind.

Just then, an audible knock on her door halted her crying for a second. Not saying a word, the brunette merely looked up to her closed door and waited for whoever's on the other side to make themselves known.

"It's Naruto…" the whiskered blonde announced himself, the uncertainty in his voice quite evident, "Is it, uhm… is it cool if I come in?"

"...Yes." Alicia weakly replied, just loud enough to be heard through the door. Not a second later, the door slowly swung open and the sun-kissed blonde stepped in.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked softly as he closed the door behind him and took a seat at the foot of Alicia's bed, wearing a comforting smile on his face as she looked at the puffy-eyed brunette,"Stupid question, I know, but bear with me…"

The brunette couldn't help but smile a little at the blonde's antics, knowing by now that he's trying to lighten her mood up. Not bothering with answering Naruto's question though, Alicia spoke, "Is there anything you need, Naruto? 'Cause this is one of those times that I'd like to be by myself…"

"Look, Ali… I know you do." the whiskered blonde muttered as he ran his hand through his golden locks and rested it at the base of his neck, closing his eyes for a second. Opening them a few seconds later, Naruto looked at Alicia and continued, "But you have to remind yourself… You're not alone. I'm here. Your mom and your brother are here. Hell, Travis is here… My point is, we need each other. I need you, just like you need me. We have to support each other, especially in times like these…"

Reaching towards Alicia, the shinobi-in-disguise rested his hand on top of hers, "I know just how bad you wanted to stay beside Matt when he's all sick and stuff. But there IS this… this virus going around. Do you remember that video you showed me before class this morning?"

"Yeah…? What about it?" Alicia asked, slightly puzzled as to why the blonde would bring it up, "What, you think that's what's happening to people?"

"We have… reason to believe it is, yeah." the sun-kissed blonde replied as he then took a deep breath and adorned a serious expression, "We saw Cal today, Alicia. Some bad shit happened with Nicky before we found him."

Naruto went on to explain in detail, the events of the last few hours when Nick was going around town, trying to make sense of the things he's seen before he was hospitalized. Up to the point where Nick said he and Cal met up at a diner and left together and the tragic event after.

"Cal tried to kill Nicky, so Nicky defended himself." the whiskered blonde explained as he noticed Alicia's complexion grow slightly pale and wide-eyed, "In doing so, he shot Cal."

"...And-and then?"

"Then, Nicky called us. We came as soon as we could and Nicky led us to Cal's car." Naruto continued, still quite disbelieving that a form of Reanimation now exists in this world, "We didn't see Cal's body anywhere around the car… I remember how lost Nick looked when we got there and Calvin's body all but disappeared. Then all of a sudden, we hear this moaning. We turn around and poof. Calvin was there, walking towards us. All bloody and dead. Yet, he was walking."

"W- what do you mean?"

"He wasn't responding to his name, Ali. He tried to take a bite outta Travis when he got too close. Just like the guy who got shot in the video…" the whiskered blonde recounted the memory, cringing inwardly at the ridiculous notion that the dead are coming back to life, "I don't know how to explain it… But he was already dead, Ali. He was walking around and trying to bite people, but he was dead."

Silence reigned in the room as its two occupants were deep in thought.

"So, are you saying that Matt's gonna turn into that?" Alicia then skeptically asked, breaking the silence, as she denied the notion that her lover would turn into a… a monster.

"Ali… He has a bite mark on his shoulder… He looked like he was on his last legs…" the blonde shinobi muttered back, as he looked away in slight pity, " I don't want to be right, either…"

"You… You don't know that for sure, Naruto." the brunette stated stubbornly, refusing to give up on Matt.

"I'm not trying to upset you. I'm sorry if I did…" the Jinchuriki uttered, still looking away, as he stood up from his spot. Walking a bit closer towards the brunette, he then enveloped her in a tender hug, however this time, Alicia didn't return it.

Without another word, the sun-kissed blonde let the hug drop and exited the room, leaving Alicia to her own thoughts once more, as she missed the downcast expression the blonde had.

**-x-**

"Damn it!" Travis exclaimed to himself as he paced back and forth in the kitchen, phone in hand, while Madison finished washing the dishes in the sink, "No one's answering. No Liza, no Chris. He's pushing my calls."

"Did you try Liza at her house?" the blonde woman asked as she dried her hands and began putting away food in the fridge.

"Of course I tried the house, Maddy," the curly-haired man answered exasperatedly as he walked towards the living room, "Of course I did."

"Okay, go." Madison encouraged her fiance, understanding just how dire the current situation is, as she dialed the number of Nick's doctor posted on the fridge door, "Travis, go get them now."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Naruto's voice entered both of the adults' hearing, halting them both from what they were doing.

"No… You don't have to do that, Naruto." Travis replied reluctantly, not quite sure why the blonde was offering his help.

"Come on! I know for a fact, two is better than one, especially when it comes to looking for someone." the whiskered blonde reasoned out as he crossed his arms and grinned at Travis. Turning his head towards his adoptive mom, Naruto spoke up once more, "Whaddaya say, Mom?"

Slowly nodding her head at Travis, the blonde woman decided, "The faster you find them, the sooner we get outta here. Take Naruto with you, Trav."

"Are you sure?" the English teacher asked his fiance, "You might need the kid here. I know that he can get Alicia and Nick to listen to him when it counts."

The two blondes in the room only chuckled at the comment.

"Great!" Naruto smiled as he then headed to his room, "Gimme a few minutes. I'll meet you out front."

"**So, what's the real reason you're itching to get outta the house?"** Kurama's voice suddenly invaded the blonde's head as Naruto entered his room and closed the door.

_Glad to hear you're awake again,_ the shinobi thought as he shed his current clothes and dressed appropriately when possibly encountering potential enemies.

"**Kinda hard to sleep continuously when I know for a fact now, that the dead are coming back to life for some unknown reason,"** the nine-tailed fox answered, knowing that the blonde was merely putting on his cheerful facade, as his container put on his black, cargo pants and tucked it into his knee-high boots, **"And don't change the subject, you brat."**

_I just need some air, Kurama… Maybe something to vent on,_ Naruto answered truthfully, his rather gloomy expression coming back in full force, as he put on a dark-blue long-sleeved, t-shirt and an orange, coach jacket from his cabinet, _Besides, Travis needs the help… I know how stubborn and hard-headed Chris could be when he wants to, from the few times he came over._

"**Remind you of someone we know?"** Kurama slyly commented, as the fox snickered audibly within the mindscape.

_Shut up, you furry bastard!_ The blonde Jinchuriki yelled inwardly, though the smile on his face belied any ill intent, as Naruto then grabbed his kunai pouch from behind his bed frame and secured it around his thigh, along with white bandage wrappings.

Satisfied with his handiwork, the shinobi grabbed his forehead protector and steel-plated gloves, right before he left his room and headed for the front door. Stopping for a second, Naruto stood in the hallway and glanced back towards Alicia's closed bedroom door.

Sighing, the whiskered blonde about-faced and was about to head out of the house when Nick's voice halted him.

"Goin' somewhere, Whiskers?" the brown-haired teen asked whilst he calmly sat by the window and kept on watching their neighbors from across the street.

"Trav's gonna head out and look for his son," Naruto explained as he tightened his gloves once more, "I figured he needed some help and since you're safe and sound at home now, I volunteered to come along. The quicker he finds Chris, the sooner he gets back here and we could leave town."

Nick turned his eyes towards the blonde with a rather concerned expression, "What's happening out there… It isn't normal, Naruto."

"I know…" the shinobi nodded as he approached his adoptive, older brother, and placed his hand on his shoulder "We'll be back soon, alright?"

"Don't take too long," Nick muttered as he sent a sly grin towards the shinobi-in-disguise, just as Naruto turned around and headed to the door, "Otherwise, I might end up going through your ramen stash…"

"You better not!" Naruto shouted as he opened the front door and stepped out to the front porch.

"Call me if you're gonna be longer," Naruto heard Madison say aloud as he set his eyes on Travis getting into the truck with the blonde woman right behind him.

"If we're longer," the English teacher answered as he closed his car door, "Go without us. We'll find our way to you. We'll catch up."

"No," Madison shook her head as she looked at her fiance defiantly, "Even with Naruto with you, it isn't guaranteed that you guys are gonna be safe. We aren't splitting up."

Travis only stayed silent as he then grabbed Madison gently by the back of her neck and slowly pulled her towards him in a gentle kiss. A second later, the two let go of each other and Madison took a step back as she noticed her adopted son on the side.

Making his way towards his mother, Naruto enveloped Madison in a hug, "We'll be back soon, alright?"

"Keep yourself outta trouble, you hear me?" the blonde woman stated as she returned the gesture, "Be safe out there."

"Will do." the shinobi answered, grinning at his adoptive mother, as they both let go and Naruto got inside of the passenger seat.

Without another word, Travis started the car and backed out of their driveway and into the street.

"So, where are we going first?" the blonde asked after a couple minutes of silent traveling, as he looked at his English teacher.

"We gotta go to Liza's first," Travis answered as he sped through the backroads, deciding earlier to avoid the more traffic-prone parts of the city, "Which reminds me, I gotta call her."

Taking his phone and dialing the number, Travis waited for the call to pick up and put the call on speaker while he focused on driving.

"_A little busy, Trav,"_ a female voice stated as the call was answered, earning the attention of the two in the car.

"I'm on my way over," the curly-haired man announced while he turned into another street.

"_What? No,"_ Liza responded, _"We agreed he was staying with me this weekend."_

"Is Chris home from school?" Travis asked, ignoring his ex-wife's reasoning.

"_Did Nick go AWOL again?"_ Liza asked, genuinely curious as to why Travis sounded so urgent.

"Look, I'll explain there." the English teacher answered, as he and Naruto glanced at each other, "Something happened. I'll explain when I get there, okay?"

"_No, no, no,"_ Liza chided, further frustrating Travis, as she continued, _"You can't keep moving the goal-post."_

"Liza, Jesus, just- "

"_Our settlement agreement was very clear."_

"Is Chris home- "

"_It's clear, Travis. It is defined."_

"You're not listening to me- "

"_You get him three weekends a month,"_ Liza's tirade continued, keeping Travis from trying to explain further, _"You can't just pick and choose."_

"Can you just please call him?" the curly-haired man pleaded as he was forced to stop the car due to a mini-traffic jam in front of them, "Call him, tell him to get his ass home."

"_He'll be home any minute."_

Getting rather annoyed at the bickering, Naruto decided to swipe the phone out of Travis' hand and lightly glared at his soon-to-be step-father.

"Hello? Liza?" Naruto spoke into the phone, all the while still looking rather irritated at Travis, as he tried to calm the woman on the other end of the line.

"_...Who is this?"_ Liza asked after a few seconds of silence.

"It's Naruto. Madison's adopted son, remember?" the blonde shinobi answered. "Look, what's happening right now isn't even anything remotely about you or Chris or Travis. There's a virus going on and it's making people very… sick. We don't have time to explain it right now, but the sooner we find Chris and get outta the city, the safer it is for us."

Naruto was rewarded with silence as he finished speaking, making him and Travis quite confused.

"Liza?" Travis asked aloud so that his voice could be heard through the line.

"_...What do you need me to do?"_ Liza then spoke again, resulting in a breath of relief from the whiskered blonde.

"Keep calling Chris and tell him to get home," Naruto answered while Travis snaked the truck around the traffic, trying to find an open route, "And pack essentials. Clothes, meds, anything you'll need. Batteries, flashlights, first-aid, toiletries…"

"_Alright. How soon are you gonna take to get here?"_

Naruto handed the phone back to Travis so that the English teacher could speak to Liza again, "We'll be there in about twenty minutes. There's a lot of traffic trying to get there."

"_Alright. I'll see you two in a bit then."_ With that, the call was dropped and Travis placed the phone on the cup holder.

**-x-**

_**[With Chris - Downtown, Los Angeles]**_

Helicopter blades whirred as several of the aircrafts zoomed by up in the sky and around the vicinity, while a rather bewildered Chris followed the crowd.

The black-haired teen then glanced at the ambulance to his left, where an emergency medic tended to a police officer sporting what seemed to be a… bite wound.

Slightly more confused than before, the teenager continued walking past the ambulance and into a mass of people congregating just a little ways ahead.

Now standing behind the rather huge amount of passersby, Chris attempted to tiptoe and see what's going on in the front, to no avail, as sirens and police officers walked to-and-from the sidewalks and the cruisers around the area.

"You know this ain't right!" a man's voice from up in the front yelled rather loudly as the dark-skinned teenager decided to move up and squeeze through the throng of citizens.

"Yo, this is wrong, man," another individual, a middle-aged black man, commented audibly as he walked up to an officer and showed his distaste openly, resulting in the officer and his colleague to try to calm the man down "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Back away, sir," one of the officers, a middle-aged asian man said as he raised both of his hands in a placating manner, "Get on with your business."

"This is his business," another bystander, a pale, mid-thirties Latino man from the side butted in, while murmurs from people around kept going in agreement, "This is all our business."

The officer only took a deep breath and continued, "Stay back."

Yet, the Latino bystander kept on, "That man never hurt a fly. That man was unarmed. LAPD's out of control!"

Getting rather intrigued with what he was hearing, Chris decided to take out his camcorder and began to record the altercation, as he tried to get closer to the front.

"We're gonna need to clear this area now," the asian officer declared as he raised both of his arms in a blocking manner, while the crowd began to make agreeing noises with the more vocal bystanders in the front.

"Yo, we ain't clearing nothing!" the initial bystander, the black man who spoke up first, made his opinions known once more just as the black-haired teen reached the front of the crowd, directly focusing his recording device towards the police officer and the crime scene behind him.

Another officer then joined in as he mirrored the asian man's actions, "This is a crime scene."

"Yeah, and we're all behind the tape." Another bystander remarked.

Irritation evident in his voice, the asian officer took a deep breath and answered back, "I will not tell you people again."

"Good, 'cause we PEOPLE aren't moving!" the same bystander rebutted, just as the officer took notice of Chris and his camera.

"Hey, kid," the asian officer yelled as he pointed towards the dark-skinned teenager, "Put the camera down!"

"Nah, nah, homie," the black man interjected audibly as he shook his head and looked at Chris, then pointed at the asian officer, to which Chris did so with much gusto, "Keep that camera up. I'm gonna give jackboot over here a little civics lesson!"

"You wanna go to jail, son?" the officer asked rather intimidatingly.

"Jail?" the black man was on a roll as he came to Chris's defense, "For what? Freedom of speech!? Right to lawful assembly!?"

"He ain't breaking any laws!" shouted another bystander, just as the asian officer grasped the walkie-talkie on his shoulder and quietly spoke into it, "Man, he ain't threatening nobody! Oh, call your little buddy, yeah!"

**-x-**

_**[With Naruto and Travis…]**_

Even with all of the detours they've taken, a frustrated Travis and a rather indifferent Naruto still found themselves stuck in traffic.

Grunting in irritation, the curly-haired man turned the steering wheel and drove the truck out of traffic and into a parking lot.

"Goddamn it…" Travis muttered to himself as he stepped on the breaks due to several cars blocking his initial path out of the other side of the lot, and a dark-skinned woman in her late-forties stepped out of the vehicle and approached an officer packing his trunk to the side.

"Yo, officer," the woman casually announced herself, garnering the officer's attention, as well as Naruto's and Travis', "What's going on out there? Was there an accident?"

"It'll clear up past Sherman Oaks," the officer answered as he lugged two more jugs of what appeared to be water into his trunk.

"I don't even know why I asked you." The woman irritatedly bit back as she turned around and went back into her car, leaving the officer to continue his packing.

Naruto and Travis for their part, could take a guess as to why the officer silently and discreetly loaded tons of water jugs into his cruiser as the two began to drive away once more.

"Even the so-called 'police force' somehow knows what's going on…" the shinobi mumbled audibly as he continued to gaze out the window, "Yet, they aren't saying anything to the public…Why?"

Travis could only drive on in silence as he contemplated the whiskered blonde's question.

**-x-**

_**[Meanwhile… - Clark Household]**_

Walking back from the kitchen, Alicia made her way to the living room, carrying a bowl of hot soup and a bottle of water, as a sickly Nick lay sprawled on the carpet floor, his withdrawal from the drugs currently taking its course.

"Here." Alicia spoke up, getting the attention of the brown-haired teen, as she set the bowl on the center table and the water bottle next to the lamp.

"Ugh," Nick weakly started as he got up from the ground and glanced at the slightly steaming bowl, "can't do hot now."

Rather indifferently, Alicia answered back as she headed for the couch by the window, "I'll make gazpacho next time."

"Yeah, it's gonna end up in the bucket." the rather ill-looking teenager replied matter-of-factly as he leaned on the couch beside him.

"Okay, drink some water." the brunette then advised as she took a seating position by the window, the same spot that Nick sat on previously.

"I'm not thirsty." the junkie stated as he weakly turned his shoulder to face his sister, "Water is not what I need."

"Yeah, I know what you need, Nick." Alicia bitterly retorted as she looked through the window and across the street, where their neighbors, the Cruz's continued to set up birthday decor, "Mom's working on it."

Indeed she has, for Madison decided to head to the highschool, a bit after Naruto and Travis left in search of medication. After her several failed attempts at contacting Nick's doctor for more prescription, the blonde woman left and assigned Alicia to take care of Nick for the time being, making her swear that she won't leave, to which the daughter complied.

Taking note of Gladys' crying expression and her mother's kneeling form, evidently trying to soothe the little girl, Alicia mumbled to herself quietly while Nick puked and retched into a bucket, "It's her party, and she'll cry if she wants to."

Looking at her heaving brother for a second, Alicia then stood up and headed to her room. Coming back out with a backpack slung over her back less than a minute later, the brunette headed for the front door.

"Whoa, whoa," the brown-haired teen mumbled as he took notice of his sister silently grabbing the water bottle she originally placed on the table for him and heading towards the door, "Where are you going? Hey, Alicia."

"I'll be fast." the brunette stated as she glanced at her brother briefly.

"No, no, no, no!" Nick struggled to get up as he tried to go after Alicia, knowing where she's heading and how concerned Alicia still is about Matt's current state when they left him, "Hey, you can't go back there!"

"I have to go!" Alicia yelled back, distress evident in her tone, as she tightened her shoes and placed the water bottle in her bag.

"Hey! You promised Mom!" the junkie desperately called out as he opted to crawl beside the couch, having no strength to pull himself up, while his sister opened the front door, "Alicia, come-"

Having had enough, Alicia let go of the door knob and closed the door, abruptly turning around with a very angry expression on her face as she glared furiously at her older brother and bellowed, "You make promises ALL THE TIME, NICK! LIE DOWN!"

"I'm an asshole! I'm an asshole!" Nick tried to placate his sister as he pushed himself up with the couch and raised his hands up in a placating manner, backing away slowly from the infuriated brunette, only to fall back on the ground again, "Okay, listen. Alicia, if you leave, you won't come back. It's not safe! Please!"

"You let mom go." the brunette reasoned out as she struggled to contain her anger.

"Not safe… No, Matt! Matt is not safe!" the brown-haired teen yelled back, frantically trying to get through to his sister, "Didn't Naruto talk to you!? He didn't tell you what happened earlier!?"

"Oh, Jesus…" Alicia mumbled as she rolled her eyes and looked away in denial, though she knew deep down that the sun-kissed blonde would never lie to her, "We don't even know if Matt really has it! He might just be really sick!"

"No, Alicia," Nick kept on as he weakly tried to push himself off the ground to no success and reach out at Alicia, just as the brunette turned around and opened the door once more, "You don't get what it makes people do… You don't know what I've seen, Alicia!"

"What did you even really see!?" Alicia yelled back as she stormed out of the house and closed the door behind her.

"Matt will hurt you!" the brunette heard Nick cry aloud as she made her way across the front lawn, " He will kill you, Alicia! I'm- "

Just then, an audible thud followed by the cluttering of objects inside the house reached Alicia's ears, immediately halting her from walking away and causing her to turn around and head back inside.

As she entered the house once more, the convulsing form of Nick greeted her as the brown-haired teen went into seizure.

"No, no, no, not now!" Alicia shouted in frustration as she attempted to turn the vomiting Nick onto his side, "Not now!"

Raising his head slightly, Alicia bellowed in anger as she did her best to let Nick puke it all out, "Don't do this to me, Nick! Not now! Don't you do this, you stupid son of a bitch!"

"Stay still…" the brunette whispered gently as Nick seemingly finally got the worst of it out of his system, holding herself back from crying in frustration, "Shh...

**-x-**

_**[With Naruto and Travis - Liza's House]**_

"That took more than half an hour," Liza spoke aloud, just as the truck pulled up on her driveway, "What happened?"

"We weren't the only ones trying to get through the city," Travis answered as he and Naruto got out of the truck and climbed up the set of stairs where Liza was standing, "People are trying to get out and get supplies."

"Hey, Liza." the whiskered blonde greeted aloud, as he sent a small smile towards the kind, Latina woman.

"Naruto." returning the gesture, the woman nodded towards the shinobi before turning around.

"Did you pack everything you need?" Naruto inquired, getting the woman to be serious once more.

"I think so," Liza said as she led the two inside her house and headed to the living room, where a pair of duffel bags sat on the floor beside the couch, "I packed clothes for me and Chris, as well as medicine and food. Just like you asked. Now, will the two of you explain what's going on?"

"This virus that's going around," Travis began to explain as he closed the front door, "The shootings the past few days, it's all connected."

"What shootings?" Liza asked curiously.

"Didn't you see what happened on the freeway last night?" Travis asked in return, slightly puzzled at his ex-wife.

"I studied till two and passed out…" Chris's mother answered, slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge in the current happenings.

"People are getting sick," the sunkissed blonde continued where Travis left off, "They get sick… then they die. Then, for some reason, they come back and try to take a bite out of you."

"You're joking, right?" disbelief evident in her tone, Liza looked on ridiculously at the two in front of her, "I hope you hear just how ridiculous this sounds. The dead… What? Coming back to life?"

"I've seen it, Liza," Travis reasoned out, no trace of doubt in his voice whatsoever as he looked at his ex-wife straight in the eyes, "We've both seen it happen."

"You know what I've seen? Nothing." Liza retorted, refusing to believe this insane story that just came out of Travis and Naruto.

"Liza, I wouldn't be here right now with Travis if this wasn't for real," the blonde interjected, as he leaned on the dining table by the door, "And as ridiculous as it sounds… This is the actual situation."

"Is it alright if we call Chris now?" Travis asked as he picked up Liza's phone from the dining table, getting an affirmative from the woman.

Dialing Chris's number, the trio waited for the call to be picked up.

After a few seconds, the ringing stopped and Chris's voice was heard on speaker, _"Mom! Mom!"_

"Where the hell are you?" the curly-haired man asked loudly through the rather busy line, "And what is that noise?"

"_Dad?"_ the black-haired teen yelled back, evidently trying to speak loudly due to the raucous background, _"Why do you have Mom's phone?"_

"I'm with your mother," Travis explained, just as Liza stepped a bit closer to the phone to hear more clearly, "We're coming to get you. Tell us where you are."

"_There's a protest,"_ Chris stated aloud, _"I'm at a protest."_

"A protest?" Liza asked audibly, urging her son to continue his explanation, "Where?"

"_Uhh, downtown,"_ Chris didn't miss a beat in answering, knowing that Liza can be scary when he pisses her off, _"Mom, the cops shot some homeless man! This poor guy, he wasn't doing anything!"_

"Alright, let us come and get you." Travis spoke while Liza walked towards the living room once more and turned on the television.

"_The people are taking action. This is important, Dad!"_

"Yeah, I get it, I get it," Travis attempted to placate the teen, hoping that Chris cooperates, "Okay, but-"

"_Dad, I'm part of it, okay!?"_ Chris bellowed irritatedly through the line, _"I gotta go! I gotta go, Dad."_

"Chris-" Travis tried to get his son to listen, but the stubborn teen hung up the call.

"Still as pleasant as ever, I see." Naruto remarked sarcastically on the side, inwardly annoyed at how bratty and overdramatic Travis's child acts most of the time.

Liza then caught Naruto's and Travis's attention as she came back from the living room, "I know where he is."

**-x-**

_**[With Alicia and Nick - Clark Household]**_

Nick rested silently awake on the couch, while Alicia wordlessly scrubbed the floor where her older brother vomited earlier.

"I'm sorry…" the junkie mumbled softly, though it was clearly heard by the brunette.

"She should have been back by now." Alicia stated, ignoring her brother's apology as she continued scrubbing.

"Yeah, I know…" Nick agreed weakly, knowing how long his sister's ire could potentially last.

"Someone should have called by now… Naruto should've called by now…" the brunette paused on her scrubbing and took a deep breath as she wiped her forehead with her arm, "Its been almost three hours since he and Travis left…"

Then, she went back to her task.

"You remember when I told you how Naruto has a tendency to feel like an entirely different person sometimes?" Nick asked, though the brunette only stayed quiet, prompting the junkie-in-withdrawal to continue, "When we saw Calvin earlier… I could see… I could feel how confused and scared Mom and Travis were. Shit, I was feeling the same… But Naruto… Naruto wasn't even fazed by it. Not one bit… He saved our asses and I couldn't feel any fear from him, whatsoever…"

"He made a promise to us," Alicia mumbled in return, just barely loud enough for Nick to hear, as she kept cleaning, "That he would protect you, me, and Mom, no matter what. That's why he started giving you and me how to defend ourselves a couple months back, remember? It's also probably why he didn't hesitate… I don't know. This whole thing is so confusing. I don't know what the hell is going on…"

Nick could only turn his head, having nothing else to say, as he watched Alicia clean his mess, "Thank you."

Once again, Alicia halted her current chore and sent a dry look towards her brother, whilst taking her latex gloves off, "I hate you."

"I know."

Just then, the lights around the house began flickering, while sirens blared in the distance, causing Alicia to slowly gaze around the house, while Nick merely went back to sleep.

**-x-**

_**[The Protest - Downtown, Los Angeles]**_

Within the next hour, the amount of protesters and bystanders surrounding the rather tense development of the crime scene grew, and the people's ire at the seemingly violent action the police officers took towards the homeless man only kept rising.

Chris stood in the middle of it all.

In the midst of all the overlapping shouts and yells of the protesters around him, the black-haired teen seemed to have heard his name from somewhere around him, urging Chris to momentarily stop his recording and look to his left and right.

"...ristopher James Manawa!" a familiar, female voice yelled out from behind him, prompting the teenager to turn around and come face-to-face with his mother and father.

"We gotta go, man!" Travis yelled out, trying to speak louder than the protesters around them, as he placed his hand on the boy's back in an attempt to pull him along.

"Dad, he was unarmed, but they shot him!" Chris reasoned back as he stood his ground, while he looked at the blonde head of hair behind his mother for a second, then turned back to his father, "No, they shot him, like, a dozen times!"

"Tell us on the way," Travis answered back, as he tried to pull once more, while Liza's curiosity got the better of her and squatted down to the ground for a clearer view.

"No," Chris answered back stubbornly as he took his arm off of Travis' grip, I'm doing what you taught me! This is what you taught me. Dad, we stand up for people."

"I know, I know, but there's a time and a place- "

Noticing Liza and getting rather fed up with Chris' childishness and the father-and-son argument, Naruto decided to look ahead at what got the Latina woman's attention.

It was a dead body.

Shot through his left eye, the corpse of a middle-aged man in dreads and faded clothes lay on his stomach as the white tarp covering him threatened to unravel due to the windy afternoon.

Stepping forward and patting Travis' and Chris' shoulders, Naruto got their attention and spoke loudly and seriously, "We better save it for later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here. Like, right-fucking-now."

Liza for her part, merely stood up and watched as three people in yellow hazmat suits came out of the back of a nearby ambulance and began lugging equipment around.

"Liza, we gotta go!" Travis said loudly, while he kept his hold on Chris.

"This is important!" Chris angrily shouted back, evidently annoyed at his father, while Liza finally turned around upon hearing the teenager's stubbornness.

"Come on, man!" the English teacher resolutely spoke back as he then held Chris shoulders with both his hands, "You're important, okay!?"

"I swear, kid, if you don't listen right now," Naruto interjected, letting his temper known as he loudly spoke beside the black-haired teenager, "I'm gonna knock you out and drag your ass back to the truck!"

"Christopher, listen to your father," Liza told her son, while Travis gave a scrutinizing glare towards the obviously annoyed blonde, as she looked at Chris, who was suddenly fearful of the blonde, "Christopher, now!"

"What is wrong with you?" Chris asked dumbfoundedly then angrily, as Travis and Liza now both dragged him away, with Naruto following closely behind him, "What is wrong with you guys!? Are you kidding me!?"

Just then, Travis noticed what could only be called a battalion of police officers in riot uniforms and equipment march towards them.

"No… Wait, wait! Stop!" Travis yelled as he halted Chris and Liza from walking forward any further, while Naruto took in the orderly marching forms of the police force.

"They're blocking the way back to the truck…" Naruto thought out loud, unknowingly voicing Travis' and Liza's unspoken words, "Damn it."

"Come on. Come on," Travis then urged Chris and Liza around, and the four of them made to go around the crowd into the other end of the street.

As they passed the crime scene, Naruto took notice of a shambling, pale woman who emerged from behind an SUV and a female officer who now turned around and trained her loaded gun onto the sickly female.

"Stop! Right now!" the officer ordered, while Naruto, Travis, Liza and Chris now ran quickly, "On the ground! On the ground, now! Stop!"

Then she pulled the trigger. Once on her temple. Once more on her left eye. Chaos ensued immediately after.

The protesters ran and screamed in panic and fear every which way, trying to get away from the apparently violent police officers and the squad of officers with riot shields heading their way.

Without a word, the pair of teenagers and adults scrambled down a set of stairs, past the crime scene and through a courtyard leading to the next block.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked loudly as he kept pace with the three people in front of him.

"This way," Travis answered back as he pointed forward and led them through a mall-alleyway and into the next street.

Having nowhere to go at the moment, Liza, Chris, and Travis made to knock onto the store-windows that they passed by, in the hopes of temporarily taking shelter there until the madness died down.

"We should be going back to Madison right now!" the blonde frustratedly shouted aloud while he took in the violence and destruction of property that other people around them were committing.

Travis only kept quiet, being the only one who heard, as he continued onto the next store, to no success.

Just then, a bald man, older than Travis, stepped out of the barber shop next to them and began closing up his shop and pulling down the shutters.

Wasting no time, Travis came up to the bald man, "Excuse me, sir. Can we come in, please?"

"We're closed." the bald man with a rather heavy Hispanic accent casually said as he finished closing and locking the shutters on his shop windows and stood up to look at Travis.

"Please," Travis continued as he pulled Chris closer just as a thuggish, middle-aged man with tattoos and a bandanna walked passed them and eyed Chris and Naruto in an intimidating way, "It's not safe out here. I mean, it's dangerous."

Naruto only stood tall and calmly looked back at the thuggish man, waiting to see if he would make any move while the blonde fingered the kunai hidden in his sleeve. He didn't.

"Go to the police." the Hispanic man stated back as he pointed down the street to where a couple officers could be seen in the distance.

"No, I think they're the danger," Travis reasoned back, while Liza and Chris decided that sticking with the curly-haired man and Naruto was the best option at the moment, "I mean, they're not letting anyone leave. We just need somewhere to ride it out. Please."

Then the old woman from inside spoke out loud in Spanish, garnering the bald man's attention, as Travis, Chris, and Liza looked on and waited for an answer, while the shinobi-in-disguise kept his eyes on the immediate surroundings.

"Please!" Liza begged as she gently tugged on the old man's shirt sleeves.

After a moment's hesitation and a stare-down between him and the woman that seems to be his wife, the old man moved aside reluctantly and prompted the group inside, "Okay, come in."

"Thank you," Travis uttered genuinely as he let Chris and Liza go in first, then tapped the whiskered blonde on the shoulder to get his attention, "Naruto, let's go. We'll wait it out and then we go."

"It's gonna get worse before it gets better…" Naruto mumbled softly as he and Travis turned around and stepped inside, though the bald man seemed to have heard it because he grunted and took in the vandalism happening on the street for a second. Then, closing the shutters and the door, the bald man made sure it was secure.

Barely a second later, audible banging on the shutters rang out from outside, prompting Chris, Travis, and Naruto to take a peek through the little openings in the shutters.

"We should've gone straight home, Travis." Naruto whispered bitterly to the curly-haired man next to him, though Travis merely ignored the teen.

"Do you have a backdoor? Access to the alley?" Travis asked aloud while he continued to watch as more and more people filled the streets outside.

"There is no other door," the bald barber answered abruptly as he finished securing said door and turned around to watch Travis look around and head deeper into the shop.

"Travis, please." Liza placated the English teacher who was about to walk past the area for the customers.

"Hey, teach!" Naruto then yelled as he stepped in front of the curly-haired man and placed his hand in front of Travis to hold him back from entering what seemed to be the married couple's home, "Slow your roll. The old man ain't lying."

"Travis, this is their home." Liza stated alongside the obviously anxious man, while the bald man spoke in Spanish once more.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry." Travis uttered softly as he closed his eyes and rubbed his face slowly. Opening them back up, he turned around to face the bald, Hispanic man once more, "I'm just scared for me and my family."

"I understand that." the bald man merely stated back, still keeping his neutral expression as he stood beside his wife who gently placed her arm around his waist and hugged his side.

"Do you have access to the roof?" Travis asked, a bit more calm now, as he stepped back from the curtains draped over to signify the entrance to the house-portion of the shop, "Maybe we could leave through there. Maybe see what's coming. I don't think it'll be safe to be close to the door."

"Please, take a seat and take a breath," the bald man suggested, though coming from him, it sounded slightly like an order, to which everyone acquiesced to, bar Naruto, who decided to lean on the wall next to the door, "There is no other door in the shop, aside from the front door and the room to our home. It is a small place."

"Nothing will come through the shutters, Trav," Naruto mentioned the curly-haired man's other concern as he took a peek through the little openings of the shutter, "It's made out of metal. Maybe if they used a car to ram it or something… But not people. Besides, I'll kick their asses if they try."

Silently thanking the blonde for his continued intervention towards Travis' rather rash and irrational actions, Liza breathed out a sigh of relief she didn't she was holding as the tension in the room subsided. Turning once more to the bald man, Liza spoke softly, "Thank you. For letting us in, I mean."

"It is my wife who let you in." the bald man replied to Liza without missing a beat while he watched his wife walk back to their humble abode through the curtains, "She is kind. Sometimes, too kind. Thank her, not me."

"Well, I'm grateful, all the same."Liza stated genuinely to which the bald man merely grunted and followed his wife.

"Papa, I thought you were locking up." Another voice belonging to a female rang out from deeper in the house-portion of the shop, causing everyone to look towards the curtains and see a braided-haired woman in a white, comfy dress and a cardigan, "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Ofelia." the bald man softly replied to the girl named Ofelia, who looked to be around the same age as Nick, the whiskered blonde commented silently to himself.

Leading Ofelia and the wife back to the front of the shop, the bald man continued, "There seems to be trouble outside and these people needed help. They didn't want to stay out there. Your mother let them in."

Ofelia, for her part, merely took in the information silently as she then brought her attention to the curly-haired man and politely asked, "And who are you?"

"I'm Travis." the English teacher answered as he stood up once more and introduced himself and the people he brought, "This is my family. These are Liza and Chris. The blonde one by the door's Naruto. We just need somewhere to ride the craziness out, and then we'll go."

"I see. I'm Ofelia," the modest girl introduced herself and her parents as she smiled pleasantly at Travis and his companions, making the blonde mirror her expression and sent a nod her way, "This is my father, Daniel, and my mother, Griselda. Do you know what's happening outside?"

Just then, the blaring of police sirens and several gunshots rang out from somewhere outside, stunning everyone into silence for a second.

"There's a protest that's turning into a riot at the moment," Naruto answered, breaking the silence, as he turned to face the rest of the shop's occupants with a rather irritated expression on his face, "And it is stupid. Because of the dumbasses participating outside, innocent lives are gonna be put in danger."

Ofelia, being the slightly curious one, copied what Chris and Naruto were doing and made her way to the glass window of the barber shop.

"That's…horrible…" the prim, young lady uttered under her breath as she peeked through the little openings of the shutters and watched the mid-afternoon chaos unfold.

**-x-**

A few hours later, and the chaos outside the barber shop was anything but dying down. With the sun setting about two hours ago, more rioters now occupy the street and the disorder showed no signs of ceasing.

"Naruto, are you awake?" Liza asked the whiskered blonde sitting cross-legged on the ground and hasn't moved for the past hour or so, "I don't think sitting in that position is comfortable…"

Naruto was awake, of course. He was meditating and trying to keep himself calm, otherwise he would have busted through the front door and taken Travis, Liza, and Chris with him as he razed hell into the streets to get back to Madison and the siblings.

Kurama merely cackled at the inner turmoil.

"I'm awake, don't worry," the sun-kissed blonde answered as he slowly opened his eyes and sent a small grin towards the Latina woman. Unclasping his hand, Naruto pushed himself up from the ground and stood up, "Just needed to rest my eyes for a second. It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it…" Liza merely agreed as she looked around the room and saw Daniel's family sitting on their dining table while Travis sat by Chris in silence.

All of a sudden, the lights flickered through the shop and car alarms from outside blared to life.

"It's not getting any better out there, Trav." Naruto stated aloud as he took his position by the door once more and peeked outside, with Chris mirroring the blonde's action.

Standing up from his seat, the English teacher approached the curtains and stood by Ofelia who switched the lights off permanently.

"I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but thank you." Travis spoke sincerely as he looked at Daniel's turned back.

"Thank my wife." the bald man answered back indifferently, gesturing to his wife standing by the altar and praying with her rosary, as he continued to read a book.

Travis could only stay silent and glance at Ofelia at the rather lackluster response.

"This is insane…" Chris voiced out loudly as he continued to look outside through the shutters, whilst Naruto drank water from a glass that Ofelia offered earlier.

"Tell me about it." the blonde concurred as he took a seat down on one of the barber chairs and leaned back.

Seeing this, Travis quickly walked towards his son and lightly gave an admonishing glare towards the blonde who merely shrugged, "Chris get away from the window."

"Can't make anything out…" the black-haired teen mumbled casually as he kept looking.

"You don't want to see anything out there." the English teacher declared as he pulled his son back from the window, "Okay? Just, come on, step away. Sit down. Read something."

While the father and son talked, Naruto stood up from his spot and approached Ofelia who continued leaning by the wall. Seeing the blonde come closer, the kindly girl smiled.

"Naruto, right?" Ofelia asked as the blonde smiled back and leaned on the wall next to her.

"Yeah. And you're Ofelia. Listen," Naruto replied back casually as he spoke in a soft, whispering tone, "I don't want to sound pessimistic or something… but I don't think it'd be a good idea to stay here for you or your parents."

"Trust me… I know." Ofelia replied back smoothly, slightly surprising the blonde at the rather resigned tone in the young lady's voice. Ofelia continued whispering, "But my father… He won't leave this place."

"Maybe he won't, maybe he will. I'm pretty sure, if it's to save you and Griselda from getting hurt, he would for sure," Naruto said softly as he watched Travis pat Chris on the shoulder as the teen picked up a magazine and began flipping through it, "But I gotta get Travis and his family to safety and I don't wanna leave you guys here."

"So what do you suggest we do?" the lady asked, evidently agreeing with the shinobi's plan.

"It would be best if you start packing stuff. Not too much, but things that you'll need," Naruto muttered under his breath as Ofelia discreetly slid closer to whiskered blonde when Daniel stood up from his seat at the table and grabbed another glass of water from the sink, "Like clothes, first aid, flashlights, batteries, toiletries…"

Without another word, Ofelia merely nodded at the blonde and silently headed towards their room, muttering an excuse to his dad as she passed him, to which the bald man merely nodded.

With his decision to warn Ofelia out of the way, Naruto brought his attention back to Travis who was now fiddling with his phone, a worried expression on his face as he stared into nothing.

"You want me to call Mom?" the blonde asked aloud, snapping Travis out of his rather transparent contemplation.

"Should we?" the curly-haired man asked unsurely, "I don't want to worry her."

"Trav, we're already several hours late. We were supposed to back two hours ago at the latest," Naruto reasoned back as he smirked, "Trust me, she's worried as hell at this point."

"Alright." With that, the English teacher dialed Madison's number on his phone and called.

The call picked up instantly as Travis immediately spoke into the phone, "Maddy. Maddy?"

"_Travis? Hi."_ Naruto heard Madison's worried tone echoed through the call as he stood right by Travis' ear.

"You can hear me?" Relieved and confused, Travis asked in return, the electricity flickering earlier popping in the back of his mind.

"_Yeah, baby, where are you?"_ the blonde woman asked, _"Where's Naruto? Are the two of you okay?"_

"Yeah, no, we're good. We found Chris. He's safe…" Travis answered as he took a seat on one of the barber chairs while Chris pulled out his laptop, having gotten bored of the magazine. Leaving his soon-to-be-step-dad to talk with his mother, Naruto decided to join Chris in his search to cure boredom.

"So, whatcha up to?" Naruto asked as he took a lounge chair and sat beside the teen.

"I'm trying to find out more information on what's going on…" Chris answered, obviously focused into surfing the web, as he kept his eyes glued to the screen, "Right here… Check it out."

Naruto leaned closer to Chris and watched what seemed to be a live-video feed of the downtown chaos happening, where rioters fought violently against police officers scattered in every street for at least a several-mile radius.

"Shit…" Naruto cursed softly, though it was heard by Daniel. Pulling his wife and daughter along, the three of them took a spot behind and beside Naruto and Chris so that they could also be updated on what was going on.

"We're right exactly in the middle of this…" Liza whispered under her breath, having taken a seat beside Chris' other side.

All of a sudden, a huge explosion went off somewhere close, prompting Naruto, Daniel, and Travis to stand up and the rest to suddenly be on alert.

"No, it's okay. It's okay," Travis talked loudly to the phone, evidently trying to calm down Madison on the line, "We're fine. I'm fine. Look, Maddy, I want you to go. Go to the desert now. Don't wait… Okay, we don't know how long we're gonna be…"

More gunshots rang out once again, this time closer to the shop.

"It's getting crazier out there." Liza stated anxiously, as she hugged Chris closer to her.

"Is Mom alright?" Naruto asked as he approached the curly-haired man who was peeking through the shutters once again.

"Yeah, she's safe at home with Nick and Alicia now," Travis answered as he looked at Naruto for a second, "She couldn't get ahold of Nicky's doctor so she went out to find medicine."

"Wait," the shinobi interjected, suddenly tense, "She left? Alone?"

"Yeah." Travis simply answered, knowing that the blonde was very protective of his adoptive family and would likely have wanted to accompany Madison instead.

"God-fucking-damn it!" Naruto cursed loudly, garnering the attention of the shop's occupants, his frustration slowly getting the better of him.

**-x-**

_**[A little bit later…]**_

"As soon as this settles down, we move." Travis stated as he sat down beside Liza and the two tried to comfort each other, "Go back the way we came, get to the truck, and we're gone."

"You said that an hour ago," Naruto interjected a bit bitterly, having been too impatient an eternity ago, as he sat on one of the lounge chairs by the window, "And the hour before that. Meanwhile, the rioteers outside are only getting more ballsy. It's almost one in the morning…"

Indeed they have. Several cars are currently on fire and a police cruiser was even turned upside down by the rioteers. Earlier, Chris was even startled due to a seemingly messed-up man who walked in front of the shutters.

"**Calm down, brat,"** Kurama's voice echoed in the Jinchuriki's head, seemingly just woken up, **"All this yammering's getting annoying to the point that I woke up because of it."**

_I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, you big baby_, Naruto sarcastically remarked in return.

"**You better be sorry."** the Tailed Beast haughtily bit back. Naruto simply ignored him.

"I know, Naruto. We'll get out of this mess." Travis stated resolutely.

"We going back to Madison's after this?" Chris then asked Travis, the sarcasm leaking in his tone, to which Naruto silently listened to.

The curly-haired man merely nodded his head, "Yeah."

"Why can't we just leave?" Chris then reasoned, as he glanced at Naruto for a second, gulped, then turned back to his father, "Just us."

"You better watch it, brat." Naruto said as he adorned a rather intimidating grin and narrowed his eyes at the brown-skinned teen.

Liza then made to reach out to her son, "Chris- "

All of a sudden, the shutters were being banged on, while furniture were being audibly broken and shattered inside the shop next to them.

"They're breaking in…!" Ofelia gasped out as she walked through the curtains and looked at her father, "They're breaking in next door!"

Travis headed to the front door to look through the shutters once more. The rioting was only getting worse. People jumping and destroying cars and public property. Still, Travis was optimistic as he spoke aloud, "Well, we're safe here. They won't come in here."

"How do you know?" Liza asked, rather feeling jumpy at the moment.

"What are they gonna steal," Travis answered back as he turned around and walked away from the window, passing by Daniel in the process, "Combs? The police will have it sorted in an hour."

"You said that two hours ago." the ex-wife rebutted, now feeling the same impatience that the whiskered blonde was feeling sometime ago.

"It's only a matter of time, Travis. You and I both know that this is only gonna get worse." Naruto reasoned back while he subtly looked at Ofelia, who quietly turned around and went back to her room, as everyone else began to listen to rather heated discussion, "What we need is to get the hell outta here while we still can. We can't keep holding out hope that your 'police' can have this sorted out when they couldn't even contain the rioteers in the first place!"

"Well, what do you want me to do!?" Travis shouted back, his frustration finally peaking, as he looked at the blonde angrily, "I want to get home just as much as you do! But we can't just waltz outta here when there are dangerous people outside! We have Daniel and Griselda! Ofelia, Liza, and Chris! I'm not leaving anyone behind!"

"I know that!" Naruto yelled back, Kurama trying to calm his temper to no success in the back of the blonde's mind, "I don't plan on leaving them here either! But if we don't go now, we'll-"

"Dad!" Chris butted in, getting Naruto and Travis to stop their bickering and turn to the teen, as he nervously looked at his father whilst his hand rested on the wall of the shop, "The wall's getting hot."

That got everyone's attention as Naruto, Daniel, and Travis mirrored Chris's action.

"We've got to go." Liza concluded as she turned to Travis, fear in her eyes.

Daniel then spoke in Spanish as he turned to face his wife, with Ofelia decked out in proper attire as she now wore jeans, a long-sleeved shirt under the same cardigan, and a pair of canvas shoes.

"I packed some stuff, just in case," Ofelia stated as she fastened the straps of a rather big bag snugly on her back and discreetly nodded to the Jinchuriki.

"You got it?" Naruto asked the Hispanic girl as he took out his steel-plated, fingerless gloves and slipped it on his hands, "I could carry it for you, if you want."

"Thanks, but I got it." Ofelia politely declined to which Naruto simply nodded.

"All right, we get out of here," Travis began to speak whilst the rest of the shop's occupants began to put on their jackets and hoodies and strapped whatever belongings they have on them, "We stay close. Get to the truck."

"I'll take point. Travis, keep Chris and Liza close," the English teacher then heard Naruto speak up, suddenly emitting a rather serious and no-nonsense attitude as he tied a rather weird headband around his forehead, the same one he saw the blonde wearing when the two of them saw each other at the abandoned church, "Chris, stick with your mom. No one lets go of each other."

"Do not get away from me," Liza adamantly ordered as she faced her son, who could only nod in submission.

"_Vamonos_, papa, mama," With Ofelia finished with helping her parents put on their jackets and sweaters, she and Daniel announced that they were ready to go, with the bald man talking to Ofelia and Griselda in Spanish.

"Okay, like the brave one said," Daniel spoke up as he nodded at Naruto, "Everybody together. _Juntas_, huh?"

"As soon as I open this door, the people from outside will be coming in. Stay out of the way for a second, then I'll tell you to follow, alright?" Naruto explained as he looked to the people behind him who all nodded in agreement. Cracking his neck, the blonde turned to the door once more, "Let's do this."

Then, they opened the door and the shutter.

As soon as Daniel and Naruto did so, a group of four rioteers were waiting in the front. Before they even stepped foot in the shop however, Naruto sent a spartan kick towards the first rioteer who attempted to lay a hand on Daniel and push him off, sending the poor guy into the other bandanna-clad people behind him.

"Watch out!" Daniel then yelled from behind him in panic for, as soon as the group of individuals were sent sprawling from the ground, the man wearing a bandanna from earlier in the afternoon came from the side and tried to swing a baseball bat at the blonde.

"Too slow," whispering under his breath, the shinobi deftly dodged the swing and, with the agility of a trained fighter, delivered a one-two punch straight to the thuggish man's face and sending him to the ground.

Without another word, the whiskered blonde turned around and yelled to his companions, "Let's go, let's go!"

Having seen the amazing display of strength and fighting prowess, Daniel and the rest of the group could only follow Naruto as he began leading the way through the chaotic street.

"Come on!" Ofelia shouted at her father desperately and pulled him forward, as Daniel stopped walking and looked back at the place they called their home for decades, "We can always rebuild! Papa!"

"We've got to keep moving!" Liza yelled back, noticing that Daniel and his family stopped their walking, "Let's go!"

Then, Chris stopped as he saw a man mugging… biting?... a police officer while the officer laid on the ground and shouting in panic, "Dad? Dad!"

"Chris, let's go! Get over here!" Travis exclaimed, seeing the man who, just like Calvin, was trying to bite the officer and SUCCEEDING in doing so as he and Liza pulled Chris forward, "Stay clear!"

"We can't stop for anything!" Naruto bellowed as he craned his neck slightly to look at Travis behind him, having just kicked a middle-aged man in the stomach away from him as he tried to get close and stab the whiskered blonde, "It's getting crazier by the second! We need to keep moving!"

And move, they did. Through the chaotic streets, Naruto and Travis led the group away from the barber shop and closer to the pickup truck. All around them, mayhem and disorder occurred, while in the corners and the sides of the streets, snarling, shambling individuals grabbed and bit into anyone that came too close to them, yet no one paid attention or even noticed.

But Naruto did.

"**They're biting… No. They're EATING anyone they can get ahold of. Yet no one stops them."** Kurama voiced out the shinobi's thoughts in the mindscape as he, too, saw the morbid event unfold through Naruto's eyes.

_Maybe they think it's all just part of the riot…_ the blonde Jinchuriki replied inwardly as he jogged towards a living corpse munching on a poor woman on the ground and sent a kunai flying towards its head. Approaching the corpse, Naruto bent down and retrieved his weapon, then looked behind him and faced Travis, "I told you it's only gonna get worse."

Without another word, the group continued. In the distance, armored police vehicles blared their sirens and spoke into their megaphones, while Naruto and his charges made their way through a sidestreet where a scaffolding was filled with rioteers trying to climb on top or simply be under it.

Having seen no other way through the sidestreet, Travis urged Naruto to head under the scaffolding and through it, and without any better plans in mind, the shinobi did as he was told, followed by Travis, Liza, then Chris. However, just as Daniel and Ofelia got through, an approaching fire truck began hosing down the rioteers and the scaffolding. And just as Griselda got through the underside of the scaffolding, it fell.

Right on the elderly woman's shin.

"Griselda!/Mama!" Daniel and Ofelia both exclaimed and ran back as they turned around and laid their eyes on the kind, old lady and the scaffolding laying on top of Griselda's foot.

"Please! Help!" the daughter cried out as she and Daniel attempted to pull the scaffolding up.

"Dad!" Chris heard Ofelia's cries and shouted towards Naruto and Travis who was ahead of them, prompting the two to turn around and gasp in horror, as they all ran back to Daniel's side.

"Granny!" Naruto bellowed as he heaved the scaffolding up so that Daniel and Travis could pull Griselda out.

"Be careful, be careful, be careful!" Liza ordered out loud as Travis carried Griselda princess-style while Naruto and Chris now walked in front of the group.

"There's my truck!" Travis said as he gestured towards his vehicle with his chin for Daniel and the rest of the group to see, "Naruto, Chris, open the back tray!"

The two teenagers wordlessly complied and did so, with Daniel and Chris climbing up the truck-bed and gently helping Travis place Griselda down on the vehicle while the whiskered blonde stood guard and scanned for anymore crazies.

"Okay, okay," Liza said as she got into the truck-bed with Ofelia, Daniel, and Griselda, speaking to the elderly woman while the daughter cried beside her, "You're going into shock."

'Let's get outta here." Naruto said as he hopped on the truck-bed with the rest of the group, while Chris and Travis got in the front and the English teacher started the truck engines.

Chris, for his part, was being as good a son as any, for he took off his hoodie and offered it to his mom through the little window behind him while Liza tended to Griselda, as she tried to calm her down, "All right, stay with me. Talk to me! Talk to me."

"**Humans in this world are way more stupid and deserving of a beating than I could ever say for in the Elemental Nations,"** Kurama voiced out his opinion as his container took a seat beside Ofelia and gently rubbed her back, just as the truck drove away safely.

_Tell me about it,_ the shinobi agreed as he took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. Then, after a few minutes, Naruto glanced at the elderly woman who was injured earlier and Liza, who was doing her best to tend to Griselda, _I could have been able to heal her right away. If only I had access to my abilities…_

Kurama only grunted in agreement, feeling the hidden frustration that the Jinchuriki was hiding from his companions as Naruto watched Griselda softly whimper into Daniel's arms, whilst thinking to himself, _Stupid seal…_

**-x-**

The car ride was relatively peaceful and, aside from Griselda's occasional whimpers and Liza's soothing words, no one else spoke. With the elderly woman's rather severe injury, Travis and Liza agreed that they should try and reach the nearest hospital in search of assistance.

Unfortunately, the chaos was spreading to fast.

As Naruto and the others approached the hospital, the blaring of police cruisers and several vehicles littered the busy street, while civilians, hospital staff-members, and police officers alike ran about the area in chaotic fashion.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Chris nervously asked Travis as the both of them took in the sight of an abandoned ambulance, its doors wide open, and a small fire crackling under its opened hood.

"What the hell is going on?" Liza inquired as the rest of the group laid eyes at the chaos unfolding in the vicinity of the hospital, the clamoring and screaming of people from the distance reaching their ears.

We can't go here." Naruto declared as he saw a police officer, equipped with a kevlar vest and a standard-issue M16 rifle jogging towards the front of the hospital parking lot, "It isn't safe… Whatever sickness this is, it's spreading fast."

As Travis steered the car along, being directed by another officer holding a flare by the side of the road, the group looked on as the truck drove past the parking lot overlooking the front of the hospital.

"_You are not able to leave without proper clearance,"_ a voice from an overhead speaker somewhere in the lot boomed and echoed throughout the immediate area, _"Checkpoints have been established…"_

"They're quarantining the hospital…" Travis pointed out in slight horror as he glanced around and drove slowly at the same time, "The people inside…"

"Sir!" an armor-clad SWAT officer behind a police cruiser shouted as he and his colleagues trained their rifles onto several of the infected shambling out of the hospital and towards them, "We will shoot!"

Yet, the bloodied corpses didn't stop.

"Get down!" Travis yelled out just as the guns began shooting, prompting everyone to do so.

"No…" Ofelia gasped in shock as she witnessed the massacre slightly under Naruto's arms, who silently sat there and watched the whole thing unfold, his eyebrows furrowing at the cracks of gunfire.

"They're not alive anymore, Ofelia…" the sunkissed blonde whispered somberly in return as he protectively wrapped an arm around the young lady while he watched as the infected were shot in the head, "You have to remember that…"

"Everyone okay?" Travis asked out loud as he and Chris turned to the back, where the rest of the passengers are, all the while the screams of the people and the distant sounds of gunshots echoed through the vicinity, "All right back there?"

"We're good!" Naruto shouted back as he turned his attention to his soon-to-be step-dad.

A few minutes passed, with the passengers of Travis's truck staying silent, the curly-haired man spoke once more as he slightly turned his head to the back, "What's plan B, Liza?"

"Another hospital." Liza replied without missing a beat as she told Daniel to keep talking to Griselda and help keep her awake, to which the bald man complied wordlessly.

"They're all going to be like that, guys," Naruto interjected as he and Daniel looked at each other in silent understanding, "They're all gonna be unsafe and hard to protect. Too many people, too many risks."

"So what do you suggest?" Travis asked the blonde, genuinely at a loss at what to do next.

"We bring them back home," the blonde shinobi stated as he looked at Liza, a fierce look adorning his face, "I'm not gonna leave them wherever, especially when they helped us earlier. We help take care of Griselda 'til she's back on her feet, then Daniel and his family can do whatever they want. Is that alright with you, Daniel?"

At the realization that the blonde kid, at least half his age, took control of the situation and decided for the well-being of his family, the bald man was slightly stunned. Snapping out of it a second later with a grateful nod to Naruto, Daniel replied, "That is an acceptable arrangement. I'll call my cousin to come and get us as soon as possible. Then, we go our separate ways."

Travis and the rest of the truck's passengers could only keep quiet at the sudden development, mostly overwhelmed at the nightmarish, last, few hours and, to a smaller degree, the enigma that is Naruto.

Outside his window, Chris silently looked on as a perfect view of the city night-lights appeared through the distance. Then, portion by portion, all the lights turned off.

"Dad?" Chris muttered softly, not even knowing what to really ask, as genuine fear began bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

**-x-**

It wasn't long before Naruto and the rest of the group finally arrived back at the house. Turning the car engines off, Travis spoke up as he turned to the back, "Stay here. I'll be back. Just gotta let Madison know of the situation first."

"I'll keep watch," the blonde shinobi decided, just as the curly-haired man got out of the truck, as he hopped off the truck-bed and surveyed their surroundings, taking note of the rather messy front lawn of the Cruz's across the street, "Hurry up, Trav. It's safer to be indoors right about now."

Nodding gratefully at the blonde, the English teacher headed to the front door. Not even a minute later, Liza and Chris got down from the truck and followed Travis, leaving Naruto and the Salazars in silence.

That is, until Daniel spoke, "That was a rather amazing display of skill earlier back at the riot."

"Papa." Ofelia attempted to admonish her father to no avail.

Turning his head towards the bald man, Naruto realized that Daniel was in fact looking at and speaking to him. Nodding his head slightly, the blonde smiled slightly and replied, "It was the right thing to do. You helped us, after all."

"I was talking about your skills in battle," the bald man continued further, obviously intrigued and maybe a little bit suspicious, though it all flew past the whiskered blonde, "Were you a soldier of some sort? Though you are young… But I noticed. Not once, did you think twice about throwing those knives of yours, nor were you surprised at all by the _idiotas_ who tried to raid the barber shop. That calmness could only be earned through experience."

Thoroughly surprised at the old man's rather on-point deduction, Naruto could only look on in widened eyes as he thought about something to say.

A second later, what with Kurama's chiding voice snapping him out of his confusion- Nowadays, Naruto could never tell when the furry fox was awake and paying attention or not- the shinobi-in-disguise took a deep breath and calmed himself and said, "Something like that, I guess… I'm adopted. Just letting you know. Before Madison's family took me in, my past… Well, safe to say, I have a very complicated upbringing."

Just then, Liza and Chris screamed from inside.

Without wasting another second, Naruto turned around from his spot by the truck and sprinted towards the front door while Daniel stood up from the truck-bed and told Ofelia to stay with her mother and keep quiet.

Upon entering the front door, the blonde shinobi laid eyes on Travis pushing back their bloody neighbor, Peter, on the wall, while Madison held a shotgun to the side, Nick standing right behind her.

Upon noticing her adopted son, Madison glanced at Naruto for a second before training her sights onto Peter, "I couldn't find the guns!"

"They were in my room," Naruto answered calmly as he pulled out his kunai once more and Daniel came into the room and strode forwards to Madison, taking the shotgun off of her hands. Talking loudly, the blonde spoke loudly, "Travis you gotta let go and get clear."

"Move." Daniel ordered, to which the curly-haired man complied, having been told twice now.

Coating his kunai with chakra, Naruto witnessed as the bald man cocked the shotgun. Then, aiming at Peter's head, Daniel pulled the trigger.

Unfortunately, this didn't kill Peter, only pushing him back slightly. So, Naruto let his kunai fly and fly it did, piercing Peter's skull and passing clean through with such force, due to the chakra coating.

No words were said as everyone glanced at each other, gauging each individual's reactions at the rather morbid altercation. Daniel put down the gone and calmly passed it back to a rather unsure Madison and made his way out the front door to go back to the truck, while Travis, Chris, and Liza silently glanced warily at their blonde companion.

"**You know,"** Kurama's voice suddenly came to life in Naruto's mind as he stepped forward and retrieved his spotless knife lodged on the wall, **"The more you show 'em your abilities, the more they're gonna be suspicious. What are you gonna do then? You said you wouldn't show them what you could really do unless it was necessary."**

_It seems really necessary now though, doesn't it? _The whiskered shinobi thought in return as he wiped as he checked the knife for any spots of blood. Inwardly thanking the ability of chakra coating and keeping his weapons generally clean, Naruto continued his conversation with Kurama, _I'll cross that bridge when we get there. If they confront me, I'll be honest. For now, though, my priority is keeping Madison and our family safe._

Feeling the connection cut off once more, Naruto rushed as Chris stumbled to the backyard, clearly holding his vomit from witnessing Peter's skull get shot at and pierced straight through.

"It shouldn't be this way." Travis stated solemnly as he glanced at Peter's body and back to Naruto and Madison.

Then, Alicia's screams echoed from the backyard.

"ALI!" Kunai in hand, Naruto ran out of the backyard and saw the brunette trying to climb the fence and attempting to kick off the undead corpse of their neighbor. Springing into action, Naruto approached Alicia and pulled her arm, "Alicia, gimme your hand! Hurry!"

"Get off me!" Alicia screamed in panic, fear evident in her voice as she continued kicking the corpse. Finally getting free, the whiskered blonde pulled her into him, both of them falling on the ground.

"You're alright, you're safe…" Naruto whispered softly in Alicia's ear as the girl continued to squirm in fright. After a few seconds, she calmed down and returned the blonde's fierce hug with her own. Bringing the both of them to a sitting position, Naruto spoke up just as the rest of the group stepped closer, "You okay? Did she… Did she bite you or anything?"

"I'm- I'm alright. She didn't bite me." Alicia mumbled in return, shaking her head slightly, as she tried to regulate her breathing to its normal pace.

Madison and Travis then helped the both of them up while Chris and Nick shone a light at the undead corpse trying to reach out at them through a little opening in the wooden fence.

"What's wrong with Su-Su?" Alicia asked in trepidation as she looked on at the pale-skinned corpse of their neighbor Susan.

Naruto remembered Su-Su. She, along with her husband, Patrick, lived on the house to their left. The Trans were close to Madison and would often visit to share food they cooked or just catch up with Madison. The whiskered blonde didn't know them very well but thought they were genuinely nice people, because apparently, when Alicia and Nick were still young, Susan baby-sat for them.

"Susan?" Madison uttered softly as she approached the growling corpse trying to reach her, "Oh, my God… Susan."

"She's sick." Liza said as she took note of the pale skin and bloodshot eyes.

"Was she bitten?" Travis inquired, trying to find an accurate reason to the unknown sickness.

"I can't tell…" Liza merely shook her head and looked back at Travis.

She's not sick," Nick interjected matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms in contemplation, "She's dead."

Alicia could only silently glance at Nick, then at Naruto in confusion, to which the blonde grimly nodded.

"Well, that's- that's not Matt." Alicia anxiously stated as she shook her head in denial, "He- He's not like that. He's not- not like that. Mom, Matt's not like that. That's not him!"

"Shhh…" Naruto hushed the hysteric brunette as he wrapped his arms around her once again as she began to cry openly, while Travis chastised Nick for his rather blunt statement, "I'm sorry, Alicia…"

**-x-**

With Travis and Naruto deciding that the fence is strong enough to hold the reanimated corpse of Susan back, the group filed back into the house and soon after, the Salazar's were settled into the living room, where Liza resumed tending to the injured Griselda.

"How's she doing?" Travis asked as he, Chris, and Naruto walked back from the backyard where the three made sure once more that Susan would not be getting through anytime soon.

Turning her head slightly, Liza replied while she changed the bandage around Griselda's injured foot, "You got anything I could give her for the pain?"

"Nothing stronger than aspirin…" the curly-haired man answered as he shook his head slightly. Bringing his attention to the patriarch of the Salazar family, Travis continued, "Uh, the phone's in the kitchen if you need to make that call."

"I did," Daniel stated aloud as he stood up from his seat beside Griselda and paced a bit, "My cousin is coming to pick us up in the morning."

"In the meantime," Naruto interjected, feeling the uncertainty that Travis was currently going through, as he sent a warm smile towards Ofelia and Griselda, "why don't we set you guys up in one of the bedrooms, yeah?"

Nodding slightly, the prim, young Salazar mirrored Naruto's expression and said, "Thank you."

"Aren't we leaving?" Madison asked while she comforted the troubled Alicia on the couch beside the Salazar, slightly confused at Travis's and Naruto's decisions.

"Yeah, of course," Travis answered as he nodded at Madison, "We will. In the morning."

"No, Travis," Madison said in return, a bit more loudly this time, "We have to go. We're packed, we're ready. We were just waiting for you and Naruto."

"Can we talk about this in the kitchen?" Travis exasperatedly asked as silently pleaded to Madison.

"No." the blonde woman spoke back as she stood up and the worry in her eyes became more apparent to Naruto and Travis than it's ever been this whole day, "This thing's getting worse, not better. It's not safe.

Feeling that the blonde woman was being rather stubborn, Liza began to speak up, "Madison, I think Travis is- "

Turning to her fiance's ex-wife, Madison cut her off as her temper rose slightly, "No, it's not your place- "

I don't wanna stay," Alicia spoke up at the same time as she stood up in agitation and came up to her mom, "I don't- I wanna go."

Travis tried to calm the mother and daughter down as he raised his hands up, "Look- "

However, the young brunette continued, the face of the undead Su-Su briefly popping up in her head, "I wanna go. I don't wanna stay here- "

"Hold on- " the English teacher stammered out, still keeping his composure, to which Naruto silently applauded, "Hold on. It is dark. We don't even know if the freeway is passable."

"You expect us to wait here?" Madison asked incredulously, whilst Alicia hugged desperately at her mother's arm.

"We'd be blind out there," Travis reasoned out, "It's dangerous."

Still unconvinced, the blonde woman continued, "And this isn't?"

"Mom," Naruto spoke up just before his soon-to-be step-dad could answer, earning everyone's attention, "Travis is right. It's riskier if we go out there now, especially with a group of seven people. We would be blind. Electricity was cut off and you know this."

"As long as we're inside and the doors are locked," the English teacher stated, grateful for the whiskered blonde's backing, "We ride it out for the night, okay? We'll take care of each other. Trust me, Maddy. We'll leave in the morning."

Glancing at Alicia for a second, who decided to sit back down on the couch, Madison spoke as he looked at Travis, "If we're staying here, you have to take care of Peter."

Naruto only smiled his megawatt smile as Madison looked at him once more. Unable to help the infectious effect of the sun-kissed blonde's smile, the school counselor then went back to sit by Alicia once more.

Without another word, Travis turned around and made to start with his next task for the night.

"I'm gonna go help him out." Naruto stated as he followed suit, nodding at Nick silently leaning on the wall as he passed by, to which the brown-haired teen returned the gesture.

**-x-**

_**[Less than an hour later…]**_

Deciding to split the work between themselves, Travis decided that Naruto should dig the grave, while he wrapped Peter up and cleaned the kitchen. Making up his mind to dig said grave at the side of Peter's house, it wasn't long before the whiskered blonde finished his task. With no one around him, Naruto decided to make a shadow clone and soon, two shallow graves for both the dead dog and Peter were done.

With his patience already running thin since earlier, the rather bored blonde, who was currently leaning on Peter's car, instead chose to put his shovel on the ground and do some reconnaissance.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating on the energy around him, Naruto activated his Sage Mode. Opening them back up, the shinobi then glanced around and sensed the area around him.

"No one in the house…" the whiskered blonde whispered to himself as he stretched his senses to cover the house, "I guess Peter lived by himself…"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto then released the Nature Energy he used and walked towards the rear end of Peter's car after noticing that the trunk remained open.

Taking a glance at the untouched resources in the trunk and a few more jugs of water on the ground beside the car, the shinobi merely smirked and whispered to himself once more, "Jackpot."

"Are you alright?" Travis's voice reached the blonde's ears, making Naruto turn to him in slight surprise, as he stopped to catch a breath from dragging the dead body of the dog and Peter wrapped up in carpet, "Come here and help me with these."

"Oh, right." the whiskered blond mumbled and, without another word, the two then dragged the bodies towards the side of the house, where Naruto dug the graves.

After putting both the bodies in their respective graves, the two got to work on covering the grave. Grabbing his shovel from the ground and handing Travis a spare he brought earlier, it wasn't long before the corpses were covered in dirt.

We should grab the stuff in Peter's trunk," Naruto spoke softly to Travis as the both of them leaned on their shovels, having just finished their work, "He won't… you know, need it."

"Yeah… Alright." Travis nodded his head slightly and the two set out to do just that.

**-x-**

Finally coming back to the house, Naruto went straight to his room after walking in with Travis and nodding silently to Liza, who was scrubbing her jacket on the sink.

Upon opening the door and entering his room, the whiskered blonde was surprised when he saw Alicia in her plaid jammies.

Leaning on his bed-frame.

Under his blanket.

Reading a book.

"Why are you in my bed?" Naruto asked, evidently confused.

Looking up for a second at the confused Jinchuriki then right back at her book, Alicia answered smugly as a smirk adorned her face, "Mom put the injured, old lady and her family in my room since it's the second biggest room aside from hers."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto decided to just take it in stride and took a seat on the end of the bed. Taking his orange jacket off and throwing it onto the computer chair next to him, he spoke once more, "So whose idea was it for you to crash in my room?"

"Mine, of course." Alicia answered without missing a beat, "You go sleep on the ground."

"You're funny." the whiskered blonde sarcastically remarked while he took his gloves off and threw that on the study table.

"Why, thank you, Whiskers." the brunette dryly stated, her eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

"Troublesome woman…" Naruto whispered rather loudly, the teasing evident in his tone, as he then took off his shoes and his socks. Throwing said socks in a hamper and placing his shoes by the foot of the bed, the shinobi-in-disguise then stood up and stretched.

Naruto now understood why Shikamaru used the term. It had some truth in it.

"Did you say something?" the brunette asked aloud, feigning ignorance, as she kept her eyes on the book and turned to the next page, though the slight smile on her face was evident enough that she did hear the blonde.

"I said," Naruto stated equally as dry as Alicia's tone had been as he then took off his shirt and turned around to face the brunette, throwing it in the hamper also, "I'm so grateful and honored that you chose my room. Can't you see it on my face? I'm so… ecstatic."

Glancing up from her book, Alicia couldn't help but admire the blonde's physique. _For someone at the age of nineteen_, the brunette thought to herself, _He's toned just right… Wait, what am I thinking? I've seen this before! We live in the same house, for God's sake!_

Snapping herself out of her inner thoughts, Alicia tried to regain her smugness from before as she retorted with her own sarcasm, "You better be. I am that awesome, after all."

"Alright, well, I'm gonna take a shower," the whiskered blonde declared as he grabbed a clean pair of boxer-shorts, pajama-pants, and his towel hanging behind his door. Opening the door, Naruto spoke once more before he headed out, "I swear, if you take the whole bed, I'm gonna push you off."

Alicia only smiled smugly, "Mm-hmm."

Less than fifteen minutes later, the shirtless shinobi came back into the room, wearing his pajama-pants and wiping his slightly dripping head of hair. Dropping his dirty clothing into his hamper, Naruto spoke to the brunette who hasn't moved from her same spot, "You're still not sleepy?"

"Can't sleep." Alicia replied promptly, still engrossed in the book she's reading.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna start packing up my stuff then." Naruto stated as he hung his towel behind the door and opened his closet.

"It's half-past one in the morning," the brunette said as she paused from her reading and glanced up at the blonde, "Aren't you tired? You've been out the whole day."

"I am tired," the Jinchuriki admitted with a weary sigh as he took out a duffle bag and began folding his chosen jackets, hoodies, pants, and tee-shirts on the bed, "It's alright though. I'm just glad we found Nicky and that headache Chris."

It was silent after that, as Naruto wordlessly packed his stuff, discreetly packing the few scrolls he had hidden under his bed into a decent-sized backpack, as well as his spare weapons. Alicia, for her part, merely went back into reading her book.

After a couple minutes though, the brunette broke the silent and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. For this afternoon, I mean."

Pausing from folding packing his underwear and socks into the duffel bag, Naruto looked up and saw that Alicia was staring right at him. Taking a second to finish what he was doing, the sun-kissed blonde smiled, "It's alright. I understand why you were upset. I also understand why you broke down earlier after seeing Su-Su in that state. Trust me. You don't have to say sorry."

"But I do. Leaving Matt like that… It still hurts to think about. And yeah, he might be just like Su-Su now… But it still fucking hurts that I couldn't do anything to help him," Alicia continued, unconvinced at Naruto's reasoning, as she placed a bookmark on her book and set it aside on the nightstand beside the bed, "But you… You were trying to help me. Keep me safe. Me, my brother, and Mom."

"I made a promise to you guys," Naruto reasoned back as he zipped up his duffel bag, now filled to the brim with extra clothes and other hygiene products, satisfied with what he packed, "And I intend on keeping it."

"You know we'll always be grateful for it." Alicia stated, smiling at the slightly blushing face of the whiskered blonde who was rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Giggling softly in her hand, the brunette decided to tease Naruto, "Still can't take a compliment, I see. You're too cute, Whiskers."

"Shut up and go to sleep." the red-faced Jinchuriki stammered out, to which Alicia only giggled a bit louder, as he placed his duffel bag and backpack by the door. He then grabbed his tantos hanging by the side of the bed and set it down on the desk, where his gloves, kunai holster, and forearm and knee guards were currently placed.

_My forehead protector, mask, vest, and cloak should be in the scroll on my storage seal…_ Naruto thought to himself as he gently caressed a tattoo on his left forearm, an idea Jiraiya gave him during his three-year training trip.

Now used to the weapons that the whiskered blonde possessed, Alicia merely took it in stride. Looking up from the screen of her phone, the brunette spoke with an impish smirk on her face, "Are your toys all up to snuff, _Sensei?_"

"Yes, they are!" Naruto replied happily as he finally finished his packing and made his way to the right side of the bed, "Now, scoot before I push you off."

"Alright, alright," Alicia complied in as she set her phone down beside her book and made space for Naruto to lie down on the queen-sized bed.

"It's almost two in the morning, Ali," the blonde softly said as he got comfy under the blankets, "We better get some sleep."

"I know…" the brunette admitted weakly as she turned off the light from the lampshade on the nightstand next to her. Lying down and getting cozy once more under her own blanket, she turned her head slightly towards the blonde beside her, "Good night, Whiskers."

"G'night, Ali."

**-x-**

_**[A few hours later…]**_

Awakening from a rather restful sleep, Naruto opened his eyes slowly due to the rather bright rays of sunlight entering through the window and landing right on his face. Taking a couple seconds to blink, the whiskered blonde tried to stretch his arms up, only to find that he couldn't move his left arm.

Looking down at his said arm, Naruto then realized why.

Alicia was currently using his left arm as a pillow as she hugged his side.

His cheeks immediately flushing, Naruto couldn't help but stare at the beautiful girl under his arm. _Her porcelain skin… the way she sometimes wrinkles her nose when she sleeps… Or when she smiles with those kissable lips… And her dazzling, green eyes…_

So entranced was Naruto that he didn't notice Alicia as she woke up and was now currently staring at him in amusement.

"Is there anything wrong with my face?" Alicia asked mirthfully as she smirked smugly and took note of the healthy blush the blonde adorned.

"Nothing I would ever change…" was Naruto's soft-spoken reply.

Now, it was Alicia's turn to blush.

Just then realizing that the brunette under his arms was awake and did, in fact, hear his subconscious comment, Naruto immediately scooted away from Alicia and sat up, taking his arms from under her, a darker shade of red adorning his face, "I- I think w-we should get up. Yeah."

Alicia merely giggled and sat up on the bed, "Alright, well, I'm gonna go and take a bath."

Standing up from the bed, the brunette opened the door and left with an amused and blushing grin on her face, to which Naruto was oblivious to.

"**Smooth."** Kurama's voice entered his jumbled thoughts, further making the Jinchuriki blush, much to the Tailed Beast's amusement.

"Why do you always catch the stupidest times in my life?" Naruto asked aloud, his most recent blunder weighing on his mind too much to speak with his thoughts.

"**It's the best and only form of amusement I have nowadays. At this point, I might as well be living for these times in OUR lives."** Kurama replied matter-of-factly, further annoying his container.

"I hate you."

"**I hate you too."**

**-x-**

Taking a quick shower soon after Alicia finished, the sun-kissed blonde was now wearing a new pair of cargo pants, a white v-neck shirt, a gray hoodie, and his tactical boots. Pocketing his gloves, Naruto discreetly unsealed the storage scroll from his wrist and sealed his excess equipment into it.

With that over with, Naruto strapped his tantos on his shins once more and placed his kunai holster on his thigh. Grabbing his leather jacket from his closet, the shinobi then made to head out of his room and into the kitchen.

"What's the plan, Mom?" Naruto asked as his adoptive mother walked past him to pour Daniel another cup of coffee while the bald man seemingly taught Chris the basics of using a shotgun.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Madison greeted the Jinchuriki with a sly look on her face as she placed the coffee pot down on the counter, "You and Alicia were sleeping so peacefully, I decided not to wake you both."

"Uh, yeah…" blushing at the comment, Naruto could only laugh awkwardly, "Thanks, Mom."

"Anyways, Travis is just making sure the cars are in working order," the blonde woman explained as she prepared what looks to be a plate of toast and eggs and handed it to Naruto, "You should do the same with your bike. We'll load up the cars and then we'll go in about an hour."

"Okay, cool." Naruto nodded his head as he then turned at the two sitting at the table. Saying a quick thanks to his mother, Naruto then took a seat across Daniel and listened to him explain to Chris the different types of bullet the shotgun from the Tran's had.

"You sure it's alright to be teaching the kid how to handle a gun?" Naruto asked offhandedly at Daniel as he took a bite out of his toast, "Does he know it isn't a toy?"

Pausing from his mini-lecture, the bald man merely glanced at Naruto and chuckled softly, "Says the kid playing with knives."

"I'm not a kid," Chris stated, slightly irritated at the blonde's continued mocking of him, sending a mild glare towards the Jinchuriki's way, "So stop calling me a kid. You're only three years older than me."

Ignoring the dark-skinned teenager's words, Naruto only smirked confidently at Daniel as he continued to eat, "I at least know how to use it. But you know that already, I'm sure."

"This is true," Daniel admitted, remembering just how fluid the blonde kid in front of him moved when they left the barber shop, as he grinned in amusement of Naruto's obvious ribbing, "But given enough time and experience, Chris over here can grow and mature, as well."

Naruto merely nodded as he finally looked at Chris, "I mean, I think so, too. His dad's strong-willed and… just plain strong, now that I think about it. Hopefully, the same thing runs in his blood."

With that, Daniel continued to teach Chris and Naruto finished his breakfast. However, just as the Hispanic, elderly man was about to hand the shotgun to Chris, Travis entered the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Daniel asked good-naturedly as he nodded at Travis.

Feeling rather taken aback at Chris holding a firearm, Travis ignored the greeting, "What the hell are you doing?"

"He's just showing me the gun, Dad." Chris answered off-handedly as he aimed down the sight.

"Finish packing the truck." the curly-haired man ordered, inwardly trying to control his temper.

Stubborn as always, Chris argued back, as he continued to look down the sights, "It's not a big deal."

Not taking the stubbornness silently this time, Travis said a bit more resolutely this time, "Chris. _Go_."

Taking an annoyed sigh, Chris complied silently as he nodded at Daniel and stood up, giving the shotgun back to the bald man and heading for the door to do as he was told.

"The more the boy knows," Daniel began as they heard Chris close the front door, "The safer he'll be."

Unconvinced, Travis merely reigned in his temper in an attempt to keep calm, "Uh-huh."

"I didn't see the harm, Trav." Madison reasoned out from the kitchen, earning a mild glare from the English teacher, as she leaned on the wall with the coffee pot once more in her hand.

"You know how I feel about guns." Travis stated as he looked at Daniel once more.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about guns, teach," Naruto interjected, causing the three adults to turn their attention to him, as he drank from a bottle of water he grabbed on the way to the table, "In our situation, especially, whether we know how to defend ourselves or not will decide whether we live or not."

"That's enough, Naruto." Travis ordered firmly.

"I'm just saying," the blonde continued as he stood up and began walking back to his room to make sure everything he had was packed, not wanting to further anger Madison's fiance, "Your son's just like you. Headstrong and strong-willed. And, just like you, if he wants to do or, in this case, learn something, then he will."

**-x-**

It wasn't long before everyone was ready to go. Deciding that he was gonna be on his bike, Naruto parked it on the street, while the rest of his family split into two cars. Madison, Nick, and Alicia in Maddy's car. Liza, Chris, and Travis in his truck.

Naruto noticed the bloody, deflated bouncy house on the Cruz's front lawn and the bloody, closed front door. Deciding on staying put for now, since there's no indication at the moment that there could be more like Peter in the vicinity, the shinobi instead just kept watch on the street.

"Alicia!" Travis, meanwhile, shouted towards the house just as everyone else filed into their respective vehicles, accompanied by Madison honking her car horn once, "Come on, We're going! Alicia, come on."

Exiting out of the front door and closing it, the brunette wearing denim-shorts, a red tank-top, and a flannel shirt tied around her waist walked down the front porch and headed to the car, adjusting the backpack on her back while doing so, "I heard you. I had to pee."

Above them, Naruto noticed, the whirring of helicopter blades zoomed through the air. Looking up to the sky, the whiskered blonde and the rest of his adoptive family witnessed as several army choppers flew by.

Thinking nothing of it, Naruto put on his gloves and his helmet. He then started the engines of the bike and revved it a couple times, just as Travis's truck backed out of the driveway and into the street, followed by Madison's sedan.

Following behind Madison, Naruto couldn't help but notice the usually audible streets of their neighborhood be eerily quiet.

Then, just as Madison was about to turn into a boulevard, Naruto heard her scream a name out from her open-windowed car. Looking to his left, he then saw why Madison wasn't following through the road.

It was Susan's husband, Patrick, walking towards his front lawn, very much alive and healthy, as he pulled a suitcase and carried a travel bag with him.

"**Your mom and her bleeding heart… She's kinda like you in that sense, huh, brat?"** Kurama contemplated within the Jinchuriki's mindscape as Naruto waited to see what was gonna happen. Naruto couldn't agree more.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto watched as Madison turned her car to the right, towards the Trans's house. Taking a deep breath, Naruto followed suit and parked his bike right behind Madison's sedan. Without a single word, Naruto took his helmet off, set it down on the bike seat, and followed Madison into the Tran's backyard.

"Patrick!" Madison yelled aloud as she jogged through the side of the house and into the backyard, "Patrick! Don't touch her! That's not your wife!"

Patrick merely looked on in confusion between the sickly Susan and Madison, "Susan…?"

Upon reaching Madison and seeing the undead Su-Su lumber slowly towards Patrick, Naruto wasted no time as he sprinted towards the white-haired Asian man and pulled him by the collars of his jacket and out of reach of the undead corpse.

"Naruto!" Alicia, who ran after her mother and the whiskered blonde, screamed aloud just as Su-Su was about to lunge at her adopted brother.

Reacting with pure reflexes, Naruto ducked low, spun around, and swept Susan off of her feet. Regaining his footing once more, Naruto stepped back, pushing the stunned Patrick back with him, as he kept an eye on the dead Su-Su, a kunai out of his holster.

Then, just before the growling Susan stood up to full height, the crack of gunfire echoed around them and Susan dropped back to the ground, a gunshot on her forehead. Not a second later, a full squadron of Army men came clamoring through the backyard, escorting Naruto and everyone else out of the Tran's property.

**-x-**

_**[About fifteen minutes later… - Clark Household]**_

"So we're back home," Naruto thought rather cynically out loud as he, Chris, Nick, and Alicia were gathered in the living room. Naruto and Chris both looked out the window, while the other two merely opted to sit down on the couch, "Since the 'cavalry', or whatever you guys call it, has arrived, we're safe now, right?"

"Something like that…" Nick answered matter-of-factly while he swished his glass of water around in his hand, a far-off look in his eyes as he stared at nothing. Then, he stood up and said, "I'm gonna go take a walk. Maybe see what else is going on in the neighborhood."

Then he left through the back door.

"Naruto, just sit your butt down, for Christ's sake," Alicia exasperatedly blurted out, having been witness to the blonde's rather unsettled body language, "I can tell, you're anxious. Just take a breather. You almost got bit…"

"I know, I know…" Naruto admitted as Chris looked at him with a little bit of worry also. Taking the brunette's advice, the Jinchuriki took a seat on the couch, with Chris copying the action, as Naruto looked at Alicia and whispered, "I should be relieved now… So, why can't I help but feel like this isn't the end of this bullshit…?"

**END CHAPTER 2**

**-x-**

**Author's Note: Sorry, it took so long to post this! This whole month was full of tests, midterms, and presentations, for those of you wondering why. So, to make up for the long wait, I made this chapter EXTRA THICC! I also noticed that Naruto might be a bit OOC, but that's probably he's matured a bit after staying in an unknown world for a year and a half to two years, with nothing but Kurama and himself to further progress his ninja-life, if that makes sense. Anyways, if you've got any questions, comments, or concerns, please REVIEW and let me know! Constructive criticism DOES help me grow as a writer, after all. Now, I gotta work on my research paper and kill off my remaining brain cells. Till next time, friends!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fear the Walking Maelstrom**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fear The Walking Dead. It would be nice, but unfortunately, it isn't my reality.**

**Author's Note: I got some pretty interesting feedback from the previous chapter and I'm glad that the majority of the readers are, at the very least, enjoying the pace of the story and how our favorite ninja is integrated into the lives of the FTWD characters. SOME THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND Y'ALL: #1. There is a REASON to Naruto being "nerfed" at the moment. That reason will be revealed as the story unfolds, so please, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the flow of the story! I'm just as excited as you guys are for when Naruto decides to just bust out his big-dick energy and shlap everyone in the face. #2. He will NEED his powers for the future. I'm not trying to reveal any details, for obvious reasons, but let's just say that Naruto won't be the last shinobi to enter the FTWD universe. Now, onwards with the story!**

"Dialogue" - Normal speaking

_Dialogue_ \- Thoughts

"**Dialogue"** \- Kurama

"_Dialogue"_ \- Over the phone/line

**CHAPTER 3: COBALT**

**-x-**

_**[Mid-morning - Clark Household front lawn]**_

"You better dodge!" Naruto, clad in black jogging pants and an orange shirt, chirped happily as he lunged towards his intended target, wooden knife in-hand.

"You- !" Alicia began to cry out, only to abruptly halt her words and perform a side-roll just as Naruto's wooden knife was about to make contact with her shoulder. Coming back up into a knee, the brunette, in her black leggings and maroon crop top, glared at the blonde and pointed her own wooden knife up at Naruto, "You jerk! I was catching my breath!"

Standing up to his full height, Naruto replied with a confident smirk on his face as he repeatedly twirled his wooden knife in the air and caught it, "What? It's a spar, Ali. Can't let you drop your guard down now, could I? Besides, this is also helping your reflexes! That side-roll was perfect!"

"You're a slave-driver, you know that?" Alicia sneered at the whiskered shinobi as she went into a crouched stance, her own wooden dagger at the ready, as she held it in a reverse grip.

Without another word, Alicia leapt into action.

In a sudden burst of speed, the brunette sprinted towards the seemingly ill-prepared blonde and, with the experience she's garnered within the last couple months of the shinobi's rather intense and grueling training-regimen, Alicia aimed and sliced at Naruto's abdomen. Or so she thought.

"That was really close to being a hit!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood by the side, having stepped back and completely evading the attack, smiling rather too sweetly at Alicia as he then cracked his neck and went into a defensive stance. Keeping his rather foreboding smirk on his face, Naruto looked at the now-cautious brunette and said, "My turn again!"

The blonde shinobi then threw his knife at Alicia. Deftly dodging to the side with a small hop, Alicia launched into action, never taking her eyes off of the rather unpredictable blonde, as she then sprinted towards Naruto and threw her knife at him as well.

"Oh, so it's a fist-fight now?" Naruto remarked as he grinned and dodged the trajectory of the knife, only to almost get hit by a jab to the face. Ducking down, Naruto saw Alicia's arm zoom past where his head was just seconds before, "Misdirection! Look at you! You almost got me!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Alicia bellowed in frustration as she threw a low kick in an attempt to at least trip the Jinchuriki, but to no success. Dodging with a roll to the side, Naruto then went for a sweep kick whilst the brunette was off-guard.

"Oomph!" Alicia groaned in pain as she layed on the ground, slightly out of air and sweat gleaming off her skin, all the while glaring up at the sky.

"You alright there, Ali?" Naruto asked in slight concern as he stood next to Alicia and glanced down at the brunette, "Wait, hold on."

Walking back to the front porch, the blonde grabbed the two water bottles he placed there before the morning spar. Turning around, Naruto then headed back to Alicia's side and sat cross-legged beside her, "Here. Drink."

Sitting up, the brunette wordlessly accepted the bottle of water and opened it, whilst Naruto did the same as the both of them sat in comfortable silence.

"I hate how I keep getting my ass handed to me everytime we spar, Whiskers," Alicia said in mock irritation as she leaned back on her arms and looked at the blonde in question whilst trying to control her breathing, "Do you find some sort of enjoyment in kicking my ass?"

"I don't know what to tell you," Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest as he grinned smugly at his adoptive sister, "I guess I'm just that pretty damn awesome…"

"Jerk," Alicia remarked as she playfully punched the whiskered shinobi's shoulder as the two of them laughed aloud.

"You should probably head back inside and freshen up, Ali," Naruto stated once the two of them calmed down as he stood up and patted his behind. Offering his hand down to the brunette still sitting on the front lawn, the shinobi asked, "Don't you have to go with Ofelia to the military announcement thing in an hour?"

Taking Naruto's hand, Alicia pulled herself up to her feet. Smiling slightly as she patted her behind as well, Alicia thanked the blonde and said, "Yeah, I think Ofelia heard from one of the soldiers that there was gonna be a public announcement for the people in the neighborhood. Gotta gather information and all that. It's been over a week since they settled in, after all."

"Still no news from the rest of the country, huh?" the whiskered blonde asked as the both of them headed towards the front door.

"Apparently, they're trying to establish some sort of connection with the East coast but it hasn't worked yet," Alicia answered as she opened the front door and the two of them entered the house, "I don't know, I'm hoping to find out more later. Anyways, I'm gonna go take a shower first."

"Alright." the blonde replied as Alicia went straight to her room, leaving Naruto in the living room. Heading into the kitchen, the blonde saw Madison sitting leaning on the counter, sipping on a cup of steaming coffee.

"Good morning, sweetie," the blonde woman spoke aloud as she sent a smile towards Naruto who mirrored the expression as he went by the sink, "How was your morning spar?"

"G'morning, Mom," Naruto returned the greeting as he turned on the faucet and began rinsing his face. Grabbing a small washcloth he had stashed in his back-pocket, the whiskered shinobi wiped his face and hands, "Same as usual, still beating Ali to the ground. What's the plan for today?"

"Today, we have to paint another layer on the wall," Madison explained as she made eye-contact with the teen. Naruto for his part only raised an eyebrow as he waited for his mother to continue explaining, to which the woman did, "I can still see the blood on the wall, Naruto."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto just nodded silently and went to the fridge, already knowing from experience that once Madison had decided about something, there's not a lot of things out there that could change her mind. Grabbing the jug of milk he was searching for, the Jinchuriki grabbed a bowl and a spoon from the cupboards and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Where's Travis?" Naruto asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence whilst he munched on his breakfast.

"He's out," Madison answered while she began taking ingredients out of the fridge, having finished her cup of joe, "Went for a jog. Says it keeps him calm."

"You know, for an English teacher, he's a very athletic man," the shinobi-in-disguise pointed out with a smirk and a spoonful of cereal, "Too bad, he's too shy to be intimidating. Otherwise, his figure could be used for other things than… Teaching…"

"Careful what you say, kid," Madison retorted with a bit of mirth as she began dicing up some onions, "He still has the power over your grades for English. Don't you still have that research paper he assigned for your class to do?"

"Shhhh!" Naruto whined aloud as he scrunched his face in frustration and shook his spoon in the air, "Don't remind me! I don't wanna do any homework! Besides, school won't be in session for a few more weeks even after things have died down. I got time!"

"So procrastinating, then?"

"Whatever, mom."

"What time does electricity get back up again? I'm trying to charge my laptop…" Naruto asked whilst he chewed on yet another spoonful of cereal.

"Where's your table manners…?" Madison mumbled to herself silently as she shook her head at her son's antics, "Apparently, 8 a.m. on the dot. That's what Travis said, at least."

"Alright, that gives me half an hour to shower and relax…" the whiskered blonde thought aloud, before he took on a slightly mocking tone and grinned at his mother, "Since I have a research paper to do and all."

"Research paper, my ass. You're just gonna try to connect to the internet. There's no WiFi and that ain't gonna change anytime soon." Madison remarked as she began washing the mugs and bowls on the sink.

"It's worth a shot, don't you think?" Naruto rebutted as he stood up and placed his bowl on the sink, having finished his breakfast, "Because, to be honest, I don't really trust these army dudes… Especially that Moyers guy… Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way he acts… He doesn't seem to care about the people. And I just don't like that."

Madison could only stay silent as she mulled the teen's words. She found that she couldn't disagree with Naruto. Not having an appropriate response, Madison could only look at the whiskered shinobi in contemplation, to which Naruto merely shrugged and turned around, heading to his room.

_If there's one thing I know about that kid, it's that his intuition is always, somehow, spot on…_ Madison silently thought as she continued washing the dishes.

**-x-**

"**Should you really have told her about your suspicions, brat?"** Kurama's voice silently whispered in the back of Naruto's mind as the blonde sat on the bed, taking his shoes and socks off.

"Should I have kept it to myself?" Naruto asked softly in return, now taking off his shirt, leaving him in only his shorts, "You feel the same about him, don't you? From the moment he came into town and took 'leadership', the neighborhood feels less like a neighborhood and more like a… well, a prison camp. No real, concrete news about the rest of the world OR about the people they bring to their other 'safe zone.'"

" **I know that, Naruto…"** Kurama admitted, having been also suspicious of the military officer, **"But it still doesn't change the fact that we don't have evidence. We COULD just… **_**take care**_**… of him, like I proposed, but that would be too 'ROOT-like' for you. You don't want to cause your mother unnecessary worry. I like her as she keeps you in line, and I don't want that to go away."**

"You're such a sarcastic mutt, you know that?" the whiskered shinobi grumbled to himself as he took out a change of clothes and placed it on the bed. Having nothing to do aside from waiting for Alicia to get out of the bathroom, Naruto stood by the window overlooking the backyard and what seemed to be the floating form of Nick, in sunglasses, as he laid on a floatie bed in the pool below.

Speaking once more after a couple minutes of silently staring out his bedroom window, Naruto continued, "All I'm saying is, Madison is a smart woman. She won't panic over something like that. I just wanna keep our family safe, Kurama. Letting Madison know about my feelings towards that army douche might do us some good, you never know…"

Before the nine-tailed fox could respond, a knock on the door snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. Before he could even make his way to open it, the door opened slightly and Alicia's head popped in. With a smile on her face, the brunette spoke, "I'm done with the bathroom. You can take a shower now."

"Ah. Alright, thanks, Ali," Naruto responded as he took his towel from behind his door and smiled at the brunette still standing by the doorway with her arms crossed. Slightly confused, the blonde asked, "You need something?"

"Just thought that you need a haircut. Your hair's getting wilder," Alicia casually answered, getting a chuckle from Naruto in the process, "Also, were you talking to yourself just now?"

"Ah…" Naruto nervously laughed as he then rubbed the back of his neck, "Erm, yeah… I do that when I think aloud."

Stepping out of the doorway, Alicia headed to the kitchen with a teasing smirk on her face, "I knew you were a little crazy, Whiskers."

"Crazy is good, trust me."

**-x-**

Having taken a decent shower, Naruto came out of his room, dressed up in casual clothing, just in time to catch Madison and Travis bickering about Travis's apparent sucking up to the commanding officer.

"Stop!" Alicia bellowed rather angrily just as Madison and Travis began to argue over each other's voices, "Oh, my God, just stop it!"

Seeing how the two adults halted their argument, Alicia continued in exasperation, "This domestic bickering like it's normal, like you're normal people in a normal kitchen! It's not normal! Stop it. Stop acting like it is."

Just as the whiskered blonde was about to speak up from his place leaning on the other side of the hallway, Ofelia silently tapped his shoulder, an awkward smile adorning her face as she looked towards the trio arguing.

"Right on time, O." Naruto casually whispered as he made eye contact with the girl a few years older than him, "Best get outta here before it gets worse."

"I think you're right," Ofelia replied as she stepped past Naruto, the blonde tapping her shoulder this time, and waited for her presence to be known. Not a second later and Madison turned her head, prompting Travis and Alicia to do so as well. Turning to Alicia with a welcoming smile, Ofelia asked, "You ready to go?"

"Please." Alicia answered weakly, the exasperation evident on her face as she left the room without turning her head back to the two adults.

"It ain't even noon yet and the tension's already this bad, huh?" the shinobi commented from the same spot Ofelia saw him with his arms crossed, just as the two females rounded the corner.

"I'm really getting fed up with their bickering…" Alicia whispered weakly once more as she and Ofelia headed to the front door, Naruto right behind them.

"I'll talk to 'em later, how 'bout that?" Naruto asked, though it was more of a statement as he wrapped his arms around the brunette's shoulders and hugged her affectionately, "In the meantime, why don't we get this announcement thing over with?"

"I thought you had things to do today, Naruto?" Ofelia asked as she opened the front door and headed out, with Alicia and Naruto following.

"I can do it after, don't worry." the whiskered blonde replied as they walked down the driveway, "Besides, I wanna hear what other types of bullshit this Moyers dude has to say."

**-x-**

_**[Fifteen minutes later… - Near the Front Gate of the Quarantine Zone]**_

Alright, listen up here, folks!" the voice of Commanding Officer Moyers boomed with confidence amidst the radio chatter and the numerous civilians littering around the area, as the army man climbed up the back of a military pick-up truck, "As commanding officer of this detachment, I am proud to announce that we are infected-free for a six-mile radius around this perimeter. We are on the offensive! The tide has most definitely turned! Yeah!"

"**He very much sounds like he's rehearsing lines."** Kurama commented within the confines of the seal, prompting Naruto to slightly shake his head in irritation.

_I really wanna sock him in the face_, the shinobi replied to the Beast in his head whilst he stood among the crowd, Alicia and Ofelia on either side, _He's literally just saying the same thing he said a week ago._

"**Control your temper, brat,"** Kurama chided gently, knowing full well how Naruto was feeling, **"You're emotions may be in the right place but this is not the time for your emotions to run wild."**

Naruto merely stayed silent as Moyers continued while the crowd applauded.

"Alright, Command asked that I read from the following," the commanding officer continued after the applauses died down, pulling a clipboard from the wooden seats of the army truck, _"'Be advised, the DZ remains off-limits while Hazmat teams dispose of any bio-hazardous material-'"_

"What bio-hazardous material?" a woman from the crowd asked, interrupting the speech.

"Hey, I'm supposed to read this," the army man responded, the slight irritation evident in his tone, "You're supposed to listen, okay?"

"When will you get the phones up?" another voice, a male this time, asked from somewhere in the crowd, though he was promptly ignored.

"'_Anyone attempting to compromise or circumvent the perimeter of this camp will be detained,'" _Moyers continued, obviously uncaring of the questions now being thrown his way, unknowingly irritating the whiskered blonde further.

"Are we being relocated?" a middle aged, Caucasian man audibly asked from the crowd, interrupting the commanding officer once more.

"Sir, this is a secure position, so no, you're gonna stay put," Moyers answered a bit more forcefully, putting down his clipboard in obvious irritation. Reading from the clipboard once more, he continued, _"'Curfew will remain in effect until further notice. The new health screening policy will continue. Sanitation, water treatment, and other services will return as we approach total containment.'"_

"Relax, Whiskers…" Alicia whispered to the side as she took Naruto's clenched fists subtly, unclenching it and holding it in the process.

"Sorry…" the shinobi-in-disguise whispered back as he relaxed and turned his eyes slightly to look at the brunette's piercing, emerald eyes.

"I know."

"Sir, we need medicine," Ofelia spoke out loud, gaining the crowd's attention as she stepped closer to the military truck, "What about that?"

"We are working on that, so keep boiling that water," Moyers answered with nonchalance as he continued reading, _"'You will also find several iodine tablets in your weekly rations-'"_

"Where are the people outside the fence?" the Caucasian man from earlier interrupted once more as he pointed past the fenced gates, prompting the crowd to ask the same questions, "Where did you move them?"

Having finally had enough of the questions, Moyers set his clipboard down on the wooden bench of the truck, "Alright, folks, listen! You are in one of twelve safe zones south of the San Gabriels, okay? So you guys are the lucky ones. You guys-you get to stay in your homes, ride this thing out, all right? So relax! Count your blessings! Be nice! So I don't have to shoot you. Yeah."

Amidst the now silenced and slightly threatened crowd, another person just couldn't hold their frustration anymore. With a scowl and a rather menacing grin, Naruto stepped up to the back of the truck, "Is that a threat, Lieutenant?"

"**You sure it's a good idea to pick a fight now, brat?"** Kurama whispered softly from within the mindscape, though Naruto had the feeling the nine-tailed fox had a feral smirk plastered onto his face.

"Naruto…!" Alicia whispered to the side, in the hopes of dissuading the blonde from doing something stupid.

The smug grin still on his face, Moyers hopped down the truck-bed and stepped right in front of the teen, bringing the both of them eye-to-eye.

"That was a fact, kid." Moyers answered back confidently, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I mean, I _do _have command over a few dozen men, after all, don't you think?"

"I didn't know they started promoting trigger-happy fuck-ups like you to Commanding Officer, Lieutenant," Naruto replied with the same mocking tone Moyers was using as he crossed his arms and pretended to think about something, "Its as if you only see the people who serve under you as toy soldiers and the citizens you protect as cattle… don't you think?"

The crowd went dead silent at that.

"**That… was the most fucked up thing you have ever said to someone. Shit, that's something I would say…"** Kurama whispered amusingly, **"I like it! If he wasn't pissed then, he definitely is now!"**

"You got quite a mouth on you, kid." Moyers said after a minute of silence passed, his smugness now gone. Narrowing his eyes, the C.O. continued talking, now resting one of his hands on the pistol strapped to his side, "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"It's alright, Lieutenant, my parents taught me how to be a better citizen so that I don't turn into a dumbass like you," the whiskered blonde replied rather nonchalantly as he smiled pleasantly at Moyers.

Before things could escalate even further, Alicia and Travis stepped in, with the former standing in front of Naruto and the latter slightly pulling the C.O. back so that Naruto and Moyers get seperated.

"Lieutenant, please calm down," Travis stated as he tried to pull Moyers back, along with one of his second-in-command, "He's just a kid."

"Naruto, back the fuck off before things get worse...!" Alicia irritatedly whispered as she pushed the sunkissed blonde back

"Was that your kid, Mr. Manawa?" Moyers asked as he watched the blonde teenager get dragged away from the now dispersing crowd.

"Yes… He's my step-son." Travis answered reluctantly as he saw Alicia and Naruto disappear from view.

"You better teach him some manners. That big mouth of his will get him in trouble." the obviously pissed C.O. stated as he glared at Travis, "Be glad I'm a forgiving man, Mr. Manawa. Otherwise, _I _would have put him in his _place_."

Although he could see some truth in Naruto's words, what with how poor Moyers treats everyone around him, Travis chose to hold his tongue for fear of making the issue worse. That, and for some reason, he just can't imagine Naruto-the boy who seemed to have an air of confidence and what seems to be experience about him-losing to the likes of this pompous douchebag.

"Of course, sir."

**-x-**

_**[Meanwhile - Half a block away from the public gathering]**_

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Alicia yelled audibly as she glared at the whiskered blonde.

Naruto for his part, at least had the audacity to look slightly embarrassed, although he didn't seem to be backing off as he stared the brunette in front of him down, "Look, I admit, I coulda handled that better, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore! That Moyers douchebag is a dick who doesn't give a shit about the people or his men! Someone had to put him in check!"

"And _you're _the one who can!?" Alicia pointed at the shinobi rather angrily, "Jesus, Naruto! No offense, because I get it, you trained in self-defense, but who do you think you are!? You're just a teenager! _We're _teenagers! Yet, there you were insulting and picking a fight with a Commanding Officer of the National Guard. A _Commanding Officer_!"

"I know, but-"

"No, Naruto, I don't think you do!" Alicia continued, not letting the Jinchuriki interrupt her now, "If Moyers decides that you're dangerous for the community, he might kick you out! He has the power to do that! Or worse, Mom and Nick might even get involved. Would you want that to happen? Put them in possible danger? All because you couldn't rein in your temper?"

"I-," Naruto started off, only to falter, understanding full well that his actions could've put his family in danger. Lowering his head, the whiskered shinobi rubbed the back of his neck in shame, "No."

"I thought so." Taking a deep breath, the brunette then seemed to relax as she looked at the blonde in front of her once more, "I'll see you back home, alright? Go home and see if mom needs help painting the living room. I gotta go back and wait for Ofelia."

Without waiting for a response, Alicia turned around and went back to the busy street, leaving Naruto to his own device.

"**You know,"** The nine-tailed fox within him chimed in, amusement evident in his voice, **"There's a word that describes you… what was it..?"**

"What now?" the blonde asked in exasperation.

"**Ahh, I know! Pussywhipped!"** Kurama boomed out loud as he erupted in laughter.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around in the direction of home, obviously irritated, "Shut up, you mutt."

"**Whu-psh!"**

A couple minutes of silence passed, until Kurama spoke up once more, the amusement in his voice gone, **"In all seriousness though, I can feel some pretty negative vibes coming off of that girl, brat… Nothing so bad… more along the lines of sadness?"**

"Matt's gone… She's probably trying to mask her pain and come to terms with that," Naruto explained to Kurama, as his mind wandered to the brunette, "… I mean, I don't need the Sage's ability to know that. I just don't know how to help her.."

Falling into silence the rest of the way home, Naruto entered the house and caught sight of Madison and Chris painting the living room wall.

"Hey, mom," Naruto called out as he entered the kitchen to grab a glass of water and walked closer to the pair, "Looks like you got all the help you need."

"Back so soon, sweetie?" Madison asked as she took a second to glance back at Naruto then went back to painting alongside the black-haired teen, "Chris here needed something to do so I asked for his help."

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be in my room," Naruto said as he patted Chris on the back and walked towards the hallway, "Ali should be back in a little bit."

Leaving Maddie and Chris to their own devices, Naruto went into his room.

_What to do, what to do…,_ Naruto wondered silently as he sat down on the bed.

"**You need to work on your Sealing Arts, brat,"** Kurama chimed in, having had nothing to do either, **"You might as well do something productive. Until tonight, that is."**

_We got a long day ahead of us, don't we…,_ Naruto answered back as he got the necessary scroll out of his duffle bag. Unsealing the scroll, Naruto picked up the stack of blank sealing paper, a brush, and a small jar of ink, _You better stay awake later tonight, you mutt._

"**Tell me again why you're going outside the fence?"**

Sitting down on his computer chair, the blonde shinobi got to work practicing his brush strokes and the symbols that his perverted teacher literally beat into him countless times, _I don't trust Moyers at all. I need to see for myself how the area outside the fences really look like._

"**That's fair I guess… Well then, just wake me up when it's time to go."**

**-x-**

_**[Hours later into the night… Outside of the fenced neighborhood]**_

With the help of his famed Sage Mode to see in the dark, the shinobi jumped across rooftops, clad in his ninja garb as he traveled across town in the darkness of the night to cover his movements.

"To think that, only a week ago, this part of the city would still be bright with all the lights and people would still be walking around…," Naruto spoke softly under his half mask as he took in the emptiness of the street with his enhanced eyesight, whilst being perched on a street lamp.

"**I mean, there ARE still some people walking around…"** Kurama added his two cents in, both sensing and looking through his Jinchuriki's eyes, as he took in the surroundings whilst he collected Nature energy, **"Although they might not exactly be living people anymore…"**

"Thanks, your deduction has been of great help," Sarcasm evident in his voice, Naruto jumped down to the ground as he continued surveying one end of the street, "There's not a lot of the reanimations around in the area… some are a bit farther away…"

"**At least these soldiers weren't lying when they said they did their jobs in clearing the surrounding areas of infection…"**

"But something's weird…" Naruto wondered aloud as he then approached a dead body lying on the ground, a gun a couple inches from the body's outstretched hand. Crouching down on the ground, Naruto searched the body for bites.

"**What's weird?"**

Standing up once more, Naruto went to another corpse leaning on the side of a brick fence, a couple meters away from the previous body. Taking a closer look, his toad-eyes narrowed slightly as he came to a possible explanation.

"**Hey, brat! I don't like being ignored!"**

"Kurama…" the blonde spoke with a bit of confusion, anger, and dread in his voice, "...These two bodies… they weren't bitten."

Sensing the seriousness in the shinobi's voice, the fox prompted Naruto to continue, **"What about it?" **

"They weren't infected at all… the body on the street even looked like it was trying to run from something by the way it's positioned…" Naruto explained further as he walked back to the first body he examined. Looking at the small, dark hole on its forehead and the holes peppered all over the body, the blonde continued, "Yet… this guy was shot multiple times. Not just in the head. Everywhere."

"**Are you implying that they were alive when they died?"**

"No bites, Kurama." Naruto answered back as he looked at the direction of home, "The bodies are only a few days old… No one's been out in this area with that much firepower aside from Moyers and his men."

"**But why would he kill the living, I wonder…"** Kurama asked himself, reaching no conclusion whatsoever as the Bijuu and the Jinchuriki both pondered one sole question:

_What's Moyers' up to?_

**-x-**

Hours passed and Naruto just about scouted most of the areas surrounding the quarantine zone he and his family called home. Hours of investigation, and yet he and Kurama came upon the same conclusion.

Living people were shot to death as they ran for their lives.

Of course, the whiskered blonde stumbled upon a couple of the undead, to which he made quick work of.

Taking down an infected in the street a couple blocks from the fence, Naruto looked at the watch on his wrist, "It's 5 in the morning… Almost dawn…"

"**Shouldn't you head back soon?"** Kurama asked as he stretched his limbs from within the mindscape, **"Gathering Nature energy is easy and all, but not moving isn't…"**

"Stop your whining, furball," Naruto amusedly stated as he too stretched his arms and cracked his back, "We gotta get our work outs, isn't that what you said? Besides, you took a break the moment I started taking down the three reanimations."

"**You're not allowed to use my words against me,"** the fox merely shrugged it off as he then went back to gathering Nature energy.

Jumping up onto a rooftop of an abandoned drug store, Naruto closed his eyes and waited for a second before he felt the familiar flow of energy course through him once more. Yet, just as he was preparing to make the mad dash towards home, he and Kurama both heard the sound of a car engine roar with their enhanced senses.

"**Naruto…"**

"I heard it too…," the blonde softly answered as he tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Coming to a rough estimation of a couple blocks from his position, the Jinchuriki once again took to roof-hopping, the darkness of the early-morning still keeping him hidden.

Arriving exactly at the edge of the quarantine zone, Naruto decided to perch onto a tree, its branches hiding him, as he quietly watched and listened while a group of three armed soldiers handcuffed a rather round, curly-haired, middle-aged man.

"What do we do with him, Sarge?" A dark-skinned soldier asked as he and another army man pinned the middle-aged man on the top of a rather slick-looking muscle car.

"You know the drill, Richards. We cuff 'em and wait for Moyers to decide," another soldier answered back as he walked back into their military humvee. Taking a wired walkie and placing it near his mouth, the soldier spoke, "This is Sergeant Castro, over."

"_Go for Moyers, over,"_ a response came merely a second later.

"We found Mr. Thompson at the edge of the southern fence…" Castro spoke once more as he glanced back at the clearly emotional individual while Corporal Cole and Private First Class Richards held him down. Not knowing what else to say, Sgt. Castro asked, "What are your orders, Lieutenant?"

"_You have your orders, Sergeant,"_ Moyers answered matter-of-factly, _"This one isn't any different. Cuff him and drop him off at the compound, over."_

Glancing back at his squad mates, Castro gave them an almost regretful look, "Copy that. Over and out."

_A compound, huh…?_ Naruto wondered silently as he watched the three soldiers push Mr. Thomspon into the humvee and start the engine, _I guess our nightly adventure continues._

"**Not gonna lie, this is the most exciting it's been since the end of this world almost two weeks ago,"** Kurama mused as Naruto began to tail the now-moving humvee through the rooftops, choosing instead to ignore the Tailed Beast's rather amusing thought process.

Around twenty minutes later, just as Naruto was about to lose patience in tailing the humvee, Castro's squad slowed to a stop in front of what looked to be a heavily fortified compound, complete with sentry towers perched on all sides. Deciding to hide himself on top of a nearby billboard, Naruto took in the sight of the base.

"So, they're using a community college campus as their main HQ…" the blonde surmised aloud as he watched soldiers and doctors walk the grounds, whilst sentry guards survey the surroundings from elevated platforms.

"**So what's the game plan?"** Kurama inquired, the excitement evident in his voice as he and Naruto surveyed the area,** "We going in hard and fast? Maybe throw a Rasenshuriken and blow it all to hell? Or maybe do some shinobi procedure… plant bombs and such?"**

"We won't be doing anything," Naruto calmly answered as he continued to take note of the surroundings, "Not yet anyways."

"**BUT WHY?!"** the Bijuu whined rather childishly, though it was a normality between the two at this point, **"We're already here! Let's sack 'em!"**

"For all we know, they probably have more civilians inside," the blonde shinobi explained as he stood up from his perch and looked towards the direction of home, "We're trying to save people, remember?"

"**Fine, you damn brat…"** Kurama gave in as he pouted, though the blonde didn't know that, **"You and your hero complex…"**

"You're just bored."

"**Hmph."**

**-x-**

_**[The next day - Clark household]**_

It was past six in the morning and the sun was beginning to light up the neighborhood when Naruto got back. With his years of shinobi training, the blonde slipped into his own window without a sound and snuck into bed after quickly ridding himself of his gear.

By the time he woke up, it was half past noon. Slowly sitting up, Naruto came to a conclusion.

"I was so tired by the time I got home, I didn't even clean myself up…" the whiskered shinobi mused to himself. Not hearing a remark from his tenant, Naruto assumed that Kurama was probably just as tired from their nightly activity.

Getting up from the bed, Naruto grabbed his towel and a change of clothes. Leaving his room as quietly as he can, Naruto was just about to head into the bathroom when he heard Madison and Daniel talk in the living room. Hiding in the hallway, the Jinchuriki listened in.

"Tell me what you saw," Daniel ordered more than asked, at least to Naruto, as the old man paused in cleaning his leather shoes.

Walking closer, Madison answered softly as she looked at Daniel with dread, "Bodies."

"Yes.." Daniel nodded, prompting the blonde woman to continue.

"The infected. But…" Madison began, only to falter a moment later, evidently a little shaken up.

"Go on." Daniel said as he set down his shoe and his cloth on the table, prompting Madison to continue once more.

Sitting down on the couch to Daniel's side, Madison took a deep breath and began to speak, "There was a man shot like the others, like the rest, but he… he wasn't sick. And there were others like that."

Taking a second to compose himself, Daniel took a deep breath, making Naruto lean in just a little more to hear what he had to say, "When I was young, these men… these men were from the government. They came to our town and they took some people away. And my father was someone of certain importance in the community, so he went to speak to the captain and asked, _'When will they return?'_ And the captain told my father,_ 'Miguel don't worry. They always come home.'_ And they did.

"I was standing in the river fishing. Just a boy. And I found them," Daniel continued, his story becoming something of a rather scary tale to Madison, "All of them. All at once. All around me. In the water. My father told me not to have hatred in my heart. He said that men do these things not because of evil. They do evil because of fear."

_Where is he going with this?_ Naruto wondered as he kept on listening to the old man's tale.

"And at that moment, I realized my father is a fool for believing there was a difference. If it happens, it will happen quickly and you must be prepared," Daniel stated as he pointed calmly at Madison, the way an elder would when teaching a child.

"Yeah, if what-what happens?" Madison asked, slightly dreading the answer to her question.

"I must go with my wife," Daniel explained as he looked at Madison eye-to-eye, "If I don't return, you will look after Ofelia for me."

"She's a grown woman," Madison retorted, although deep down she understood where Daniel was coming from, "She doesn't need-"

"Please," at this point, the old man's desperation shone through, "You will look after Ofelia for me, please."

Madison could only nod silently at Daniel's steely gaze and subtle plea.

"Thank you," Daniel uttered genuinely as he began to gather his cleaning tools and his newspaper. Standing up from his seat, the old man spoke once more, "Keep your son close. And I don't mean the brave one. He's plenty strong and smart for his age. I mean you're… troubled son."

Sensing that Daniel was more than likely headed for the hallway, Naruto snuck inside the bathroom and silently closed it, making up his mind to talk to Daniel before he left with Griselda.

Spending the few minutes getting himself cleaned up, it wasn't long until the blond shinobi got out of the bathroom and into his room once more. Wiping himself dry, Naruto couldn't help but think about how brave and stupid his mom was for sneaking outside the fence.

"Not that I could say anything…" Naruto thought out loud as he finished drying himself. Grabbing a set of new clothes, he quickly dressed himself and grabbed his kunai pouch. Attaching it on the side of his thigh like usual, the blonde headed out his room.

Only to stop as soon as he took one step outside.

"Did you have a good shower?" Daniel asked softly as he leaned on the wall by the side of Naruto's bedroom door.

"D-Daniel!" Naruto cried out in surprise, not expecting the old man to be right outside his room. Composing himself a second later, the whiskered blonde continued, "Uh.. yeah. Thanks. Were you gonna use the bathroom..?"

"Your mother took a great risk in sneaking outside the fence, but I'm sure you know that, having heard our conversation earlier," Daniel spoke, completely disregarding Naruto's surprised reaction as he looked at the teen in the eyes, "I hope you have what it takes to protect your family, though I have little doubt you will do everything in your power."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto dropped the facade and looked at Daniel seriously, "Don't worry. Should things take a turn for the worse, I'll protect Ofelia."

Turning around and walking back into his room, Daniel nodded his head and a ghost of a smile adorned his mouth as he said, "I know you will."

**-x-**

With little else to do than laze around at home, Naruto spent the rest of the day in the backyard either working on his Sealing Arts or sparring within the confines of his mindscape with Kurama. It wasn't until after the sun had set that the blonde decided to head back inside.

"Hey, Trav," Naruto greeted as he entered the living room and saw the English teacher tinkering with his tools by the couch.

"Hey, kiddo," Travis looked up and nodded at the whiskered blonde for a second, then went back to cleaning his tools a teasing smirk on his face, "Got your 'inner peace' all situated?"

"I won't be turning green and angry anytime soon, don't worry," Naruto answered with a grin mirroring Travis's, remembering how surprised Travis was when he first watched the blonde sit completely still under the shade of a tree for hours and how it's mind-boggling that a teenager can meditate, of all things.

Walking past Travis and straight to the sofa by the front window, Naruto took a seat next to Alicia who was quietly reading a book and drinking a cup of tea. Nothing was said as Naruto looked out the window and watched the quiet driveway while the brunette silently read.

"You missed your sparring practice this morning," Alicia uttered nonchalantly as she turned to another page, her eyes never leaving her book, "Where did you go last night? You know… after you snuck out?"

"Ahh…" Naruto could only rub his neck and look at the side in embarrassment as Alicia then brought her piercing gaze onto the blonde, "So you knew, huh?"

"Really?" Alicia replied softly, so as not to attract Travis's attention from the other room, "You have a small bed, Whiskers and I was literally next to the window when you opened it. Light sleeper, remember?"

"I went to the roof. I needed some air and I couldn't sleep so I stayed up there til morning," Naruto lied.

With that, Alicia put her book down and brought her attention to Naruto, "Are you okay? If there's anything on your mind…"

"No, no, I'm alright, I swear!" the blonde insisted as he gave Alicia her megawatt smile in an attempt to ease her of her worries, "Just hoping things could go back to normal sooner, you know? The tension's been getting to everyone lately and… I just worry about you, Madison, and Nicky."

Not knowing what to say, Alicia instead opted to simply smile and pat Naruto's thigh as she then went back to her book, the blonde just relaxing beside her. It wasn't until a minute later that she broke the comfortable silence once more, "I gotta use the bathroom."

Setting her book down on the center table next to her tea, Alicia stood up and headed to her bathroom by the living room, where Travis was working.

Opening the door, Alicia was surprised when she saw Nick standing in front of the dimly-lit bathroom dabbing ointment on what seems to be a bruise on his face

Seeing his sister open the door, Nick immediately tried to shut the door once more, "Go away. Leave."

"What the hell happened to your face?" Alicia asked, immediately locking in on the clear mark below Nick's eye, as she held the door open.

Pushing a bit harder on the door, Nick began to raise his voice louder, "Knock, for Christ's sake. Go away!"

"Stop, Nick, let me just have a look at it," Alicia pushed back, intent on getting inside, only for the older sibling to slam the door shut, "Nick! Let me in!"

Hearing the commotion, Travis and Naruto stood up from their respective seats and approached the brunette who was trying to open the door once more.

"What's going on?" Travis asked as he knocked on the bathroom door, "Nick. What happened?"

"Travis, stop, look…" Alicia said as she lightly took hold of the man's wrist, stopping Travis from knocking more, "Let me just… I got it, okay?"

Looking at Alicia, then at Naruto who nodded at him, Travis acquiesced as he nodded reluctantly at the brunette, "Okay."

With that, Travis walked away, passing Naruto as he did so, with the blonde nodding to Travis once more.

"Nick, he's gone," Alicia spoke through the door, "It's just me and Naruto now. Come on, let me in."

"You alright in there, buddy?" Naruto asked, just as soft as Alicia's as the two of them waited for a response. Not getting any response, the whiskered blonde continued, "We could always just get Mom, you know…"

Hearing as if a weight was lifted from the bathroom door, Alicia tried to open the door again, this time succeeding in doing so. Alicia looked back at Naruto in question.

"I'll stay outside. I can hear you guys from here anyways," the blonde stated as he then leaned on the wall next to the bathroom door and closed his eyes.

Grateful for the blonde's silent understanding, Alicia nodded and headed inside, leaving the blonde in the hallway.

It wasn't even a few minutes later when, all of a sudden, a squadron of the National Guard arrived and entered the house, escorted by Chris's mother, Liza.

"What's happening?" Alicia asked as she opened the door after a few minutes, finished with helping Nick calm down and attend to his bruise, as she and the older sibling stood by the bathroom doorway next to Naruto.

"They're apparently bringing Griselda somewhere they could help her better," the blonde answered softly, his hands by his pockets, as he carefully felt his kunai pouch and its contents whilst he took note of the grim expressions the soldiers had on their faces.

"**That's Moyers' right-hand man. Castro, wasn't it?"** asked Kurama from within the mindscape, having woken up from his nap after feeling the slight surge of anger and mistrust from his container.

_That's him from the other night, alright,_ the Jinchuriki replied in thought as he took note of said soldier standing by the door, his assault rifle in hand.

"Hey, whoa, hey, hey," Travis loudly got everyone's attention as he stood by the front door, having come back from the garage with Madison in tow and saw Liza with another female and a bunch of soldiers in the house, "What's all this?"

Seeing her ex-husband, Liza stood by Travis and explained whilst the soldiers carried Griselda out the bedroom in a stretcher, "If we don't get Griselda to the surgeon, she's gonna lose her foot. You're in the way."

Understanding the situation, Travis stood to the side whilst he and Madison watched Liza and the soldiers step out the front door, "Alright, okay."

Just as the medics carrying Griselda exited the house, Daniel came out of their designated bedroom, jacket in hand, as he headed out the front door. Only to be stopped by Sergeant Castro.

"Sir, I'll need you to wait." the sergeant stated as he barred Daniel from leaving the front door.

"No, it's okay," Madison chimed in, trying to reason with the soldier-in-charge, "That's his wife."

"I have two names," Castro explained as he looked at a sheet of paper, then back to Daniel.

Pointing to the paper and then to himself, the bald man impatiently said, "Griselda Salazar, Daniel Salazar."

"No, not you," Castro replied as he held onto Daniel who was still trying to get through, "Nicolas Clark."

It was then, at this moment that hell broke loose.

Confusion all over her face, Madison asked, "What?"

One of the soldiers, Naruto noted, who's had his eyes trained on Nick the entire time he was in there, spoke to the brown-haired teen, "Come on, man. Free medical care of the U.S. Military."

Alicia then turned to her older brother, concern and fear in her eyes, as she uttered one word, "Run."

And Nick ran.

Past Naruto towards the backdoor, with the soldier who spoke earlier giving chase. Or he would be, if it wasn't for the blonde tripping him and sending him on the ground with a swift kick to the shin.

Following his adoptive brother, Naruto saw another soldier give chase behind Nick who turned around, sensing someone coming behind him. Just as the soldier was about to make contact with Nick's face using the butt of his rifle, Naruto caught said butt.

"You know, it's not nice to hit people," Naruto stated as he casually stood between Nick and the soldier, holding back the soldier's full strength as if he was nothing.

_Kurama… Gimme a little juice…, _the blond said as he smiled disconcertingly at the soldier, making said soldier confused and slightly nervous, _I wanna put the fear of Kami in this fool… _

"**Oh, it'll be my genuine pleasure, brat!"** the Biju gladly did so and, not a second later, Naruto felt the familiar surge of Kurama's undiluted demonic chakra course through his veins.

At this point, the armed men near Naruto trained their guns on the blonde, whilst Madison, Travis, and Alicia tried to tell the soldiers to calm down and for Naruto to let go.

His eyes turning feral on and off, Naruto's piercing gaze was a sight to behold as the soldier who was being held by him could do nothing but stare in confusion and fear at those demonic, crimson eyes, _Am I seeing things? _

"Woul**dn't you agree, sir?**" Naruto spoke very softly, still smiling menacingly, so that only the soldier could hear him, as his voice took on a more guttural tone. Then, he released some of his demonic killing intent and directed it to the soldier in front of him.

The effect was almost instantaneous as the soldier was now taking a knee, wide-eyed, a visage of a demonic fox, as tall as a skyscraper, baring its fangs down on him as its numerous tails swished about, plaguing his mind. Still, Naruto held onto the rifle, staring him in the eyes, whilst the soldier seemingly forgot how to unclench his hands from the rifle.

"Stand down! Stand down, kid!" Sergeant Castro bellowed as he and the other soldiers within the house trained their rifles onto the Jinchuriki.

"Naruto!" Alicia shouted as she stood beside him, panic all over her face, in an attempt to block the soldiers' line-of-sight, "Let go of the officer right now! These guys aren't kidding!"

Madison and Travis could be heard trying to calm the soldiers to no avail while Daniel tried his hardest to follow his wife outside, as Naruto then decided to let go, sensing another soldier standing by the backdoor, his rifle trained on his back.

"**What's the move, kid?"** Kurama asked, his excitement yet again rearing its head, **"We can take these goons down for sure, but it's your decision. Should they start shooting…"**

_Ali and the others are gonna get caught in the middle of it, huh…?_ Naruto answered in his head as he weighed his options. Taking a deep breath, Naruto let go of the wide-eyed soldier and slowly stepped away from Nick, bringing his hands up in a surrendering manner.

Looking at Nick beside him, the blonde spoke softly "Don't run, dumbass. They're gonna hurt you. Or worse. Mom and Alicia might get hurt."

Sergeant Castro then got close and pushed Naruto into the wall as he began barking orders, "Cuff Nicolas Clark and take him to the truck. Richards, check on Mills. He seems paralyzed."

Meanwhile, Daniel and Chris had soldiers pointing their rifles on them. Fearing for his life, Chris could do nothing but stand beside Daniel and Ofelia, who were both confused and scared at the sudden development, "Dad!"

"Step back!" yelled the soldier as he trained his sights on the persistent Daniel, who was being held back by Ofelia and Chris.

"Take it easy!" Travis shouted as he got in between the soldier and the current tenants of the Clark household, "What are you doing? Take it easy, man! He's a kid! It's an old man and a kid! What are you doing!? This is our home!"

Meanwhile, Castro and Naruto were having their own conversation. Pushed up against the wall, Naruto could do nothing but be obedient, lest they hurt his family, so he listened, "What are you gonna do now? Shoot my entire family?"

"You think I like what I'm doing?" the Sergeant asked heatedly, his patience wearing thin, whilst he watched his men point their weapons at the civilians, "I'm just following orders. Now, answer my question. What did you do to Mills?"

"I gave him something to think about before he even tries to hurt someone else. That's all," the blonde answered cryptically as he smirked at Castro mockingly.

The sergeant for his part, turned the blonde around and got closer to his face, "I should shoot you where you stand."

Glaring his most menacing glare, Naruto answered back, "Shoot me and that'll be the last thing you'll ever do."

The sergeant was genuinely puzzled with this kid. He remembered the blonde teen from the announcement yesterday, how ballsy he was to stand up to Lieutenant Moyers so callously in front of everyone. Even now, he isn't backing down, even when there are literally guns pointed at him and his family. Not to mention his agility and strength, being able to catch Mills' rifle a second before it hit Nick and holding him back.

"You're either very brave or very stupid," Castro uttered as he then let go of the blonde, his facial expression suddenly growing weary, as if he hasn't slept for days, "You're gonna need that."

"What…?" confused, Naruto didn't know how to respond to the sergeant's last words, him and the beast inside him.

"**How very curious…"** Kurama commented, mimicking his container's confusion.

"Stand down!" Castro barked out to his men, making the soldiers within the house bring down their guns, "All right, clear out!"

Within a minute, the house was clear of the soldiers.

"Are you alright?" Alicia asked as she approached Naruto and checked him for any injuries, panic written all over her face. Not finding any, she looked at the blonde and said, "They took Nick. Naruto, they took Nick."

"I know. I know, Ali," Naruto muttered as he hugged the brunette tightly, feeling her cold fingers and the fear she was trying to hide.

"Mom…" Chris whispered, confusion adorning his face, as he and Travis looked out the window and watched as the truck Liza got in drove away.

Running out the front door, Madison shouted at the rest of the armed men milling about in her driveway, getting ready to move out, "Where is he? Where did you take him? No- Nick!"

"Ma'am, you need to go back inside," a soldier ordered as he and another armed man held her back from running towards Sergeant Castro. Just as she was gonna keep pushing through the armed men, she made eye-contact with the one person who made this happen. Liza.

As the rest of the soldiers cleared out the driveway, Madison headed back in, a scowl adorning her face, she spoke to Travis, who was by the door, "Liza. She did this."

Without another word, Madison turned around and headed back to the garage, where she frequently let her frustrations out with her alcohol, passing by Alicia and Naruto, who was trying to calm a silently fuming Daniel down.

Naruto looked around just in time to make eye-contact with his mother and he didn't need the Sage's ability to tell what she was feeling right about now.

Anger. Lots of it.

_Mom…, _Naruto empathized, feeling the same thing as he rubbed Daniel's back, whilst Ofelia brought a glass of water and handed it to her father.

"We'll get them back," Naruto declared, his voice resolute and full of conviction, making Daniel turn to him. Staring right back, Naruto repeated himself, "We'll get them both back."

**-x-**

_**[The next day - Perimeter gate of the Safe Zone]**_

With the events of the night before plaguing everyone's mind, Naruto was left to his own devices as it seemed like everyone wanted to be left alone. With nothing else to do, Naruto decided to scout the people who took his brother away. Though he wasn't alone in his sentiment.

"Tell me, you fascist pricks!" Ofelia shouted angrily as she hurled an empty beer bottle directly at the perimeter gate, shattering said bottle on contact.

"_Cease your hostile action and return to your home,"_ A man on a bullhorn spoke aloud, whilst numerous armed soldiers milled about on the other side of the perimeter gate.

"Tell me where she is, you asshole!" Ofelia continued, unperturbed by the sets of eyes that tensely watched her and the guns the soldiers held, as she banged on the fence gate. Going back and picking up another glass bottle from one of the recycling bins by the gate, she threw it at the gate once more, "Come out here, you coward! I'm gonna show you 'hostile!'"

"**Why are we watching your friend here again?"** Kurama inquired, evidently bored, while his container sat atop a big tree, half a block away from the perimeter gate, **"We could be storming their compound by now. We know where it is, after all."**

"Because, Kurama," Naruto began to explain casually in between bites as he munched on an apple, "I made a promise to Daniel that I'd watch out for his daughter. I'm doing just that. Besides, I don't wanna 'storm their compound' just like that. Majority of these soldiers… they don't agree with how Moyers does things. They're just following orders…"

"**Like how your shinobi can't do anything but follow their Hokage… Now that you mentioned it, Sergeant Castro had that same vibe,"** Kurama contemplated, seemingly convinced with his Jinchuriki's reasoning, though Naruto knew the Biju would go to town should he be given the chance, in a blink of an eye, **"But even so, what are you gonna do? The fact doesn't change that they have your brother."**

"I intend to sneak out again tonight and scout the place a bit more," answered Naruto matter-of-factly. Just as the Biju was gonna reply, Naruto told him to quiet down, intent on listening to what was being said between Castro and another soldier who seemed to be trying to reason out with the Sergeant.

"Step aside, Corporal," Castro ordered as said Corporal blocked his way from confronting the emotional Ofelia.

"What are we doing here, man?" the 'Corporal' asked as he tried to stall Castro and hopefully stop him from whatever he's planning to do.

"What's it look like?" Castro retorted irritatedly, as he tried to keep the little patience he had, "Your girlfriend popped her top. She's inciting the natives. Lieutenant says I gotta nip this thing."

Out of frustration, the 'Corporal' laid the palm of his hand on Sergeant Castro's chest, stopping him from moving forward. Taking a second to look menacing, Castro spoke once more, "You got exactly three seconds to get your hand off my stripes or I will plant you where you stand."

"Screw Moyers, man," the 'Corporal' whispered softly, almost pleading for Castro to stop, "You don't have to do this."

"Three…"

"Listen, man, these are people here," the Corporal continued, to no avail.

"Two…"

Getting more desperate, the Corporal kept reasoning, "These are our people, okay?"

"Two…!"

Trying once more, the Corporal pleaded, "She just… wants… her mom. Look at her, Sarge."

"You think I like this shit?" whispering, Sergeant Castro's patience was just about spent and not knowing what else to do, he vented, "Acting like some power-tripping 5-0? Hmm? I have a family too."

Taking a breath of relief that Castro listened to his pleas, the 'Corporal' answered, "I know. Lemme handle it."

Looking once more at the emotional girl on the other side of the gate, Castro relented, "You better."

With Castro ordering the gates to be open, the 'Corporal' went through and approached Ofelia, his hands up in an appeasing manner, "Go ahead, I wouldn't blame you."

Her frustrations getting the better of her, Ofelia dropped the empty bottle in her hand and sat on the ground as she cried her worry out.

Kneeling next to Ofelia, the 'Corporal' spoke once more, "Hey. Look at me. Let me take you home, okay?"

With that, the pair went to the direction of home, the 'Corporal' holding Ofelia by the waist.

"**Correct me if I'm wrong, but they seem to be close,"** Kurama thought aloud within the confines of the mindscape, to which Naruto silently nodded as he watched the soldiers for any reactions, **"Interesting…"**

Just as the blonde shinobi was about to leap away, one of the soldiers spoke up as he unstrapped his rifle and turned around, "I'm not doing this anymore."

"Sergeant," Lieutenant Moyers, who was watching the altercation from the side, yelled aloud as he looked at his second-in-command, "Impress upon your man the importance of his duty or I will."

"Yes, sir," Castro responded as he followed the soldier-in-question, "Corporal, halt. Corporal Cole! I said stop!"

"I was right," Naruto meanwhile stayed as he watched Castro and his man shout at each other, "These men… they're just about done with Moyers and his way of doing things. Some more than most."

**-x-**

It wasn't long until the blonde was in the vicinity of the Clark household, having been jogging on the way back. Just as he was about to head through the side yard, Daniel popped out from the Tran's driveway and caught his attention.

"Naruto, come," Daniel beckoned as he waited by the side yard, "There is something we need to discuss."

"Daniel?" the blonde asked, clearly puzzled as to why Daniel was standing in front of the wrong house. Approaching the bald man, Naruto spoke, "Are you alright? You know you're in front of the neighbors' house."

"I know that," Daniel said as he turned around and went back into the backyard, "Follow me."

The old man was not giving Naruto time to ask anymore questions, so the blonde simply did as he was told and the two made the trek through the maze-like backyard and into the back door.

"This way," Daniel hollered as Naruto stepped inside the Trans' house reluctantly, whilst the old man turned the corner and down what seemed to be a set of stairs.

"Where are we going? And why are we inside this house?" Naruto asked as he followed down the stairs, into a dark basement hallway, "This is giving me the creeps, gramps."

"Be quiet and follow." Daniel replied in his usual curt responses as the two of them reached a door. The old man opened it and stepped through.

"Honestly, what is this pl-Holy shit," the blonde asked as he began to look around, only to make eye contact with one of the Moyers' men, the one who walked Ofelia home, "Why is one of Moyers' soldiers tied up and gagged?"

"We didn't know what else to do," Ofelia, who was leaning by a table on the side, answered as she listened to chatter on a walkie-talkie, "We just want my mother back."

"And you-you think," Naruto responded as he angrily pointed at the gagged soldier, "This is the way? If Moyers finds out about this, there'll be hell to pay!"

"What do you suggest we do then!?" Ofelia yelled back in frustration as she and Naruto glared at each other, "Sit around and wait for them to take another one of us? Maybe my father or your sister!?"

"I'm not saying don't do-"

"Then what, Naruto?" Daniel interjected as he walked up to the whiskered blonde and rested a hand on his shoulders, "Do you want to get your brother back?"

"Of course I do." Naruto answered softly as he looked away in frustration.

"Then this is the way." the old man simply answered as he began his interrogation.

"**I know you don't agree with this, kid,"** Kurama spoke softly whilst his Jinchuriki silently took a seat beside Ofelia and watched as Daniel got to work getting into the soldier's head,** "But as it stands, you need all hands on deck. This old man… Daniel has the eyes of someone who went through war. You know this. Let him do his job and we'll do ours, alright?"**

_I know… I just… torture never really sat right with me, is all,_ the blonde admitted whilst he watched Daniel lay out his 'tools' on a small desk in front of the soldier.

"**It does with me,"** the fox nonchalantly replied, now satisfied that he was able to get through his stubborn container.

_I know, dammit,_ the blonde answered silently.

Not even an hour later into the interrogation session, where Daniel repeated the questions over and over, only for the soldier named Andrew (Ofelia told the blonde after he asked softly) to not budge, the door to their little basement room to open suddenly.

"What is this?" Madison asked, confusion very much evident in the tone of her voice, as she noted the faces in the room. Looking from Ofelia, to Daniel, to Andrew, to Naruto, and back again to Daniel, "What the hell is this?"

"She's got a knife." Ofelia whispered to her father whilst he and Naruto stood next to Andrew.

"Wait," Daniel said as he stepped in front of Madison to block her and gently tried to wrestle the knife out of her hand, "Stop, stop."

"Answer me," the blonde woman pressed on, trying to get free and untie the army man, as she looked at both Daniel and Naruto, to which the whiskered blonde merely sighed in frustration, "What is this?"

Calmly, Daniel answered as he stood his ground, "This is how we bring them home."

"You knew about this?" Madison asked out loud, glaring lightly at her son this time.

"About an hour ago, yeah," the blonde answered, not wanting to gain his mother's ire, "I didn't know about it beforehand… But I see Daniel's point."

"And you thought this was a good idea!?" Madison rebutted, her anger slowly rising, as she got her hand out of Daniel's grip, "I thought you were smarter than this!"

"It's not the best of ideas, I'll admit," Naruto calmly replied as he rubbed his neck and looked to the side, his brows creasing in frustration, "But this is better than sitting around and waiting for whoever-knows-what. It's the only lead we have right now if we wanna get Nick back… and something tells me that we ain't getting him back otherwise."

All was silent after Naruto's words were said, as Madison stepped back and contemplated the truth in her son's logic.

Without another word, Madison stepped back next to Ofelia and Daniel got back to his interrogation. Amidst the countless questions, Andrew still didn't budge, opting to ignore the question and plead for his freedom. All the while, Naruto could see the reluctance in Ofelia's eyes.

Not being able to take it anymore, Ofelia stepped out of the basement and back into the house, followed by Madison and Daniel.

"Don't mind me, I'll stay here," Naruto whispered as Daniel passed him by, to which the old man silently nodded and closed the door behind him.

"So," Naruto began to talk as he stood up and stretched his limbs, "Bad cop is gone and we have maybe a few minutes to ourselves to get acquainted with each other, while the adults and the princess argue upstairs."

Andrew merely continued eye contact and stayed silent.

Taking it as a sign to continue, Naruto spoke once more, "While I disagree with Daniel's methods… I can't deny the fact that interrogating you will bring the most results. And while I'm somewhat against torture, I know for a fact that Daniel isn't. These tools…"

Naruto pointed to the little bag on the side table next to Andrew, where the zipper was slightly opened, and the handle of a hammer was sticking out.

"...aren't just for show. I promise you that," the whiskered shinobi smirked lightly as he pocketed his hands and leaned back on the counter by the door, "So, I'm gonna make you a deal. Once the interrogation starts, stick to the truth. Nothing but the truth. If you lie, I'll know. Trust me. Stall all you want, but know that Daniel won't be as patient as I am. And once you answer all our questions, I'll make sure Daniel doesn't touch a single hair on you."

"What happens… if I don't want to?"

"Let's just say…" Naruto crossed his arms and stared nonchalantly as he slowly leaked out his killing intent, definitely affecting the soldier's perception, "...that I'm the only one who can stop Daniel from doing this."

For a second, Andrew thought he saw the teen's eyes take on a bit of sadness-was it regret?-, though he chalked it up to the lights in the dimly-lit basement playing games in his mind.

"So… We got a deal?"

**-x- **

_**[Meanwhile… - With Travis]**_

"Let me get this straight," an army man spoke up as he and his squad, along with Travis, rode in their Humvee en route to the other facility where Griselda, Nick, and Liza were apparently being held, "You're going downtown, through this mess of DZ flesh-eating whatnot to get some kid who ain't your son, some old woman who ain't your mom, and some lady who ain't your wife?"

"Actually," Travis answered back as he breathed a sigh of embarrassment, "She's my ex-wife."

"No!" the soldier chuckled in amusement at how ridiculous the summarized version of the situation sounded, to which the curly-haired teacher couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah…" Travis merely went along with the reaction as he took in the appearance of the soldier, "What do they call you?"

"Me?" the soldier who was chuckling asked as he looked at Travis, then to Castro who was sitting in front of him, who ignored him in favor of just glancing to the side window, then back at Travis once more, "Name's Cole. Corporal Cole, at your service."

"Cole…" Travis repeated the name, as if to test it out, as he then noticed the slightly purple area around Corporal Cole's left eye, "What happened to your face?"

Taking a second to compose himself, Cole then went slightly more stiff and looked ahead, as if he was scared of something, Travis noted, "Nothing, sir. Momentary lapse of patriotism."

Just then someone knocked on the roof of the Humvee three times.

"Now?" Castro asked out loud, as he shook his head, "You gotta be kidding me."

"Hoo-ra!" Moyers exclaimed rather excitedly from the turret hole, "We got another one! Stop the truck!"

"Sir," Castro spoke up, "I don't think this is the best time for-"

"For what, Castro?" Only for Moyers to interrupt him, "Doing our duty? I don't know which side you're on. Corporal, summon the Mamba!"

With that, the Humvee stopped in the middle of the road, while everyone stepped out of the vehicle.

"She's a ripe one…" Moyers offhandedly made an observation whilst he looked through his binoculars, "How many points?"

Beside Travis, who was now standing beside Moyers, another soldier was setting up what looked to be a sniper rifle. Still, the English teacher had no idea what in the hell was going on.

"First floor," Castro shouted back this time, as he looked through a small scope on the roof of the Humvee, "East corner."

"Nine-hundred yards," Moyers spoke aloud as he made calculations and readjustments on the sniper rifle whilst he looked through the scope, "Five-mile-an-hour crosswind… Come on, Castro."

"Three points, sir."

"Three? You know I don't do anything for less than a touchdown…" Moyers then got off the rifle and turned his head towards Travis, "Alright, Mr. Mayor… guess you're up."

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Travis then nervously shook his head, "Me? No, no. I-I can't."

Yeah, you can," Moyers insisted as he nodded his head, It's easy."

"No. I can't," Travis reluctantly stood his ground, "I'm not a good shot."

Moyers chuckled in amusement as he explained matter-of-factly, "It's a tactical mil-dot scope on a bipod. Helen Keller could drill this thing. Hell, I bet that blonde kid of yours could shoot it with his eyes closed. Naruto, was it?"

"He don't wanna do it, sir," the soldier who set up the rifle on the hood of the Humvee reasoned out, taking pity on Travis.

"You a conscientious objector, Travis?" Moyers asked condescendingly.

"Okay, hold on-" Travis began but was cut off still by Moyers.

"Someone who likes to live under our protection…"

"All due respect, sir-"

"...and eat our MREs…"

"You're not listening, sir-"

"...and sleep in a cozy bed with his pretty wife, but when it comes to getting his hands dirty, he doesn't want-"

Unable to take Moyers' very obvious bullying, Castro exclaimed aloud, "I'll do it, sir!"

"HELL, NO, YOU WON'T!" Moyers shouted back, what seemed to be anger and malice in his facial expression, "HELL, NO! Travis I wanna know what it is. 'Cause you don't think that she's human, do you? 'Cause if you do, if that's what you think, then we're just a bunch of murderers. Is that it?"

"No." Travis answered softly, "No, that's not it."

"Okay."

Without another word, Travis walked up to the hood of the Humvee, where the sniper rifle was set up, and positioned himself to shoot.

"This is a .50 cal, so cheek on the stock," Castro chimed in as he instructed Travis on how to position himself, to which the curly-haired man complied, "Tight to the shoulder. Press the trigger, don't pull. Open your mouth."

Confused at the last instruction, Travis looked up, only for the soldier who set up the rifle to answer the unasked inquiry, "Pressure differential. You'll pop your damn retina, man."

Once more positioning himself the way Castro taught him, he looked through the scope of the rifle, where he laid an eye on what seemed to be a waitress. Someone who used to be a waitress. A person.

_Dead...Not alive anymore… _Naruto's words rang through his thoughts as the curly-haired man's heart began beating faster, _They're, by all accounts, dead. Yet, they still walk around._

But they can still be saved. Right?

_He's something between a dead corpse and a mindless cannibal. He isn't what we define as human anymore…_ Again, the voice of his blonde-haired step-son rang in his mind, his explanation for this… this bizarre pandemic. When he killed the thing that used to be Calvin.

"That ain't a person." Castro whispered, trying to show support for the poor English teacher.

But for him to pull the trigger himself…

_You want to protect my mom, right? You can't do it with just your sweet kisses._

"I have to do it…" Travis whispered to himself as he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, "For the people I love."

He steadied his hand, focused the sights on his target… A waitress, middle-aged. Brown-hair. She must have been a pretty girl before she turned into one of them… Now, she has pale skin, bloodshot, dead eyes. Her bloody clothes clung to her skin while her once neatly-tied hair now looked messy. Her name tag says Kimberly.

_I'm sorry, Kimberly..., _Travis silently thought as he fought the tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Then, he pulled the trigger.

**-x-**

_**[Back with Naruto and Daniel… - Basement of the Trans' house]**_

For the past two hours, Andrew's been subjected to the rather gruesome torture that Daniel was dishing out. Still refusing to agree to Naruto's deal, the poor soldier was wheezing at this point, his tolerance for pain nearing its limit whilst his forearm bled from the numerous cuts from Daniel's razor.

"Please… Stop…," Andrew weakly murmured amidst the continuous chattering of his radio in the background, while Daniel cleaned his razor blade free of blood, having finished with his 'storytime.'

"This word," Daniel began talking once more, ignoring the pained expression of the younger soldier tied to the chair and picked up the radio, "It's used many times in your radio transmissions, so I know it's important. What is 'Cobalt?'"

Sobbing and groaning from the pain, Andrew could do nothing but silently weep and pray for this horrendous turn of events to end. All because of his damn feelings for that damned, sweet girl.

Taking Andrew's silence as a continued sign of defiance, Daniel sighed and went back to his mind games as he studied his bloody handiwork with the young soldier's arm, "The outer layers have less nerves. The deeper, the more sensitive. You need a steady hand. What is 'Cobalt?'"

"I d-don't know," Andrew sobbed out in pain.

Daniel took a deep breath and picked up his razor blade once more.

_Goddammit!_ Andrew cursed within the confines of his already fragile mind, _If only there was a way for this stop! God, please! I need this to st-_

Then he made eye contact with the whiskered, blonde teenager sitting silently by the door, watching and… is that pity in his eyes?

_To hell with Moyers._

"N-Naruto!" Andrew screamed out in desperation as he shut his eyes tight, waiting for the pain in his arms to continue once more, for the carving of his skin to resume once more.

It never came.

Slowly opening his eyes, the younger soldier could not be more relieved. Naruto was there, beside Daniel, holding his wrist and, by extension, the razor. Literally an inch before it made contact with his already bloodied forearm. Unbeknownst to the other two in the room, Naruto might as well have _**Shunshin'd **_(_Body Flickered)_ from one side of the room to where Daniel was sitting with how quick he moved.

"**I told you the waiting was gonna pay off!"** Kurama boomed matter-of-factly, the boredom in his voice apparent, as he felt his container's sense of relief, **"Sooner or later, loverboy over here was gonna give in."**

_Yeah, well, it still doesn't feel great, alright?_ Naruto retorted silently as he then made eye contact with Daniel. Speaking to the elderly man now, the whiskered blonde spoke aloud, a defiant gaze in his eyes, "Hey, old man, I think I got it from here."

Daniel, for his part, merely looked straight into Naruto's eyes, as if he was trying to gauge him or size him up. Then, as if he was satisfied, the elderly man got up, bringing his tray of bloodied tools, and headed for the door.

"Come find me upstairs when you are done," Daniel said just as he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

"Look, Andrew," Naruto began, now that it was only the two of them alone in the room, "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. You don't deserve to be tortured… So far, only Moyers does, in my opinion. But I couldn't interfere until you, yourself, were ready to talk."

Andrew could only sob in return. Seeing the pained man's expression, the whiskered blonde went to the counter by the side and grabbed one of the spare towels that Ofelia probably brought down and wiped the sweat off of the soldier's face. Grabbing a bottle of water by the counter, Naruto opened it and urged Andrew to drink.

With that out of the way, Naruto sat down on the chair that Daniel was previously occupying and talked once more, "We just want our family back, Andrew. I hope you understand that. And, although I disagree with Daniel's methods, the same question is still unanswered. What is 'Cobalt?'"

Andrew still stayed silent.

"Come on, man…" the whiskered blonde pleaded, "My brother may have been a drug addict, but he doesn't deserve to be imprisoned for it!"

"..."

Without an uttered word, Naruto took out a kunai and cut through the rope tying down Andrew's good arm. Holding his hand, the shinobi used his free hand and placed three digits on his wrists, "I'm gonna ask you some questions. I'm gonna need you to answer them truthfully, because otherwise… Let's just say that I can be worse than Daniel when it comes to torture. Please, Andrew, for your sake… don't lie."

"**You know, you don't need to do that wrist-thing, right?"** Kurama chimed in from within the confines of the mindscape, **"Though you're considerably weakened, you still have the old man Sage's passive ability of sensing negative emotions."**

_I know, dumbass,_ Naruto replied with a bite, as he took a deep breath, _It's all part of the act. Don't worry, I kinda know what I'm doing._

"**Tch,"** the nine-tailed fox grunted as he once more began to doze off, the current happenings not entertaining enough,** "Wake me up when it's time to wreck shit…"**

Without replying to the tailed beast, Naruto began the interrogation, "Andrew… You're scared of what Moyers will do if you spill the beans, aren't you?"

_Shit!_ Andrew thought to himself as he slightly began panicking, _I gotta stay calm…!_

"Andrew… your heartbeat just got a bit faster…I hit it right on, didn't I?"

The soldier could only widen his eyes as he gazed forwards, at the mysterious blonde in front of him.

"Andrew, I promise you, I will protect you if that's what you're scared of. Trust me when I say that I can destroy Moyers," the whiskered blonde said with as much conviction as he can muster as he held on tightly on Andrew's wrist, "But please… PLEASE. Answer the question. What is 'Cobalt?'"

_Should I answer him?_ Andrew asked in his head amidst the continuous throbbing of the pain from his wrist, _Moyers will kill me if I spill and he finds out…_

"Someone like Moyers doesn't deserve the genuine loyalty that you hold, Andrew…" Naruto mumbled weakly as he glared to the side in frustration, "Someone so willing to threaten the people he leads… the people he's supposed to protect… and enjoys what he's doing… he doesn't deserve your trust and loyalty."

_Fuck it… Moyers could suck my left nut._

"C-Cobalt…," Andrew began to talk out loud, wincing as he did so, and looked straight into Naruto's piercing gaze, "Is the command code… the command code to ini-initiate evac from the L.A. basin."

"Evac?" Naruto asked aloud, "For everyone? When?"

"Not for you… the evac isn't for civilians…" Andrew answered shamefully, looking down onto his lap as he did so, "It's for the troops… just for us."

"What…?"

"To top that shit off," Andrew continued, noticing the disbelieving expression on the shinobi's face, "Cobalt…includes 'procedures for the humane termination of…'"

Noticing that the soldier trailed off and merely stayed silent after, Naruto snapped out of his stupor, "Dumb it down for me, Sherlock! What do you mean 'humane termination!?'"

"They're gonna… they're gonna bomb the whole place after the troops have been evacuated."

The Jinchuriki could not help but adorn the horrid expression on his face as he gently let go of Andrew's wrist and leaned back on the chair out of pure shock.

"That's the same face…" Andrew weakly commented as he shook his head in a shameful laughter, "Castro made when Moyers gave the order out… That sonuvabitch even had a smile on his face as he spoke to us… I'm sorry, Naruto… about your brother… Ofelia's mom… I'm really sorry for all of this."

"It isn't your fault."

The way Naruto said that so resolutely, Andrew was stunned for a second as he looked up once more.

"People at the top… those who have the power to protect but use it instead to bring about pain… those people are the lowest of the lows. They're scum. That's what Moyers is. He doesn't deserve that kind of power over people," the whiskered shinobi uttered aloud, his voice devoid of weakness as he stood up and began untying Andrew's bindings.

"What are you doing?" the soldier asked.

"I'm letting you go, dumbass," Naruto answered matter-of-factly as he got around to untying the rope around the feet of the chair, "From here onwards, your destiny's your own. Don't let scum like Moyers make the decisions for you. You can run away and never look back… Or you can help me and your beautiful girlfriend find and protect our family…"

Finishing his task, the blonde stood up to his full height and extended his hand down to the sitting Andrew, who currently had his eyes widen like plates, brimming with unshed tears.

"What do you say?"

**-x-**

_**[Meanwhile… - With Daniel on the ground floor of the Trans' house]**_

Being sent away by none other than the adamant blonde, Daniel decided to wash the blood away from his tools. Zoning out as he rinsed the bloody knife in his hand by the kitchen sink, he was unaware when his daughter entered the room.

"Papa…?" Ofelia asked aloud, snapping Daniel out of his daze, as she got a closer look at the bowl containing what seems to be bloodied water on top of the tray he was using, "Is-is that Andrew's… blood…?"

"Ofelia…" Daniel murmured, shame evident in his voice as he set the tool in his hand down, pushing away the memories of his past experiences with torturing to the side, "I can explain-"

"You said you wouldn't hurt him!" the brunette shouted angrily, cutting her father off as the tears in her eyes began to fall, "You promised!"

"He is okay, trust-"

"Trust you!? It's like I don't even know you!" Once again, the daughter cut her father off, her expression a mix of confusion, anger, and sadness, "We agreed that we would interrogate Andrew! Not… not torture…"

Just as she began walking towards the hallway leading to the basement, most likely to check on the soldier, Naruto came around from the corner, Andrew-in-tow.

"I was wondering whether you were in agreement with the whole torturing thing…" Andrew playfully teased, though the exhaustion in his voice was pretty evident, as Naruto helped him sit down on the small coffee table by the kitchen, "I'm glad I was wrong."

"Andy…!" Ofelia blurted out, along with a sob, as she rushed Andrew and hugged him, "I am so sorry…! Had I known my father was gonna do this to you…"

"Oof!" the soldier made a sound, clearly not expecting the rather fierce hug, but welcoming it all the same, "Don't be sorry… Although it was painful… I understand why your dad did it. If it was me in his shoes, I would've done the same… Besides…"

With that, Ofelia let go and took a seat beside Andrew as she held his hand whilst the soldier looked at the whiskered blonde now standing next to Daniel, "Someone told me that I shouldn't let scum like Moyers control my life and… well, the end of the world as we know it seems like a good time as any to start making my own decisions."

Wiping the tears on her cheek, Ofelia nodded with a smile, "I'm glad… I'm glad you're alright. But, what do you mean by making your decision?"

"If you all don't mind," Naruto butted in before Andrew could explain, for which the soldier nodded in agreement, "I want everyone to be around before Andrew and I start explaining so that we discuss everything at once. Will that do?"

"That is fair," Daniel agreed calmly as he began working a bit faster at cleaning his tools, "I'll clean up here… Ofelia… could I ask that you… assist Mr. Adams in cleaning up?"

Without so much as a grunt, Ofelia stood up and began to help Andrew up, "Naruto, is it alright if I help him clean up back in the house?"

"Knock yourself out," the blonde answered back nonchalantly as he handed a water bottle to the soldier, "Also, I have some fresh clothes inside the cabinet beside my bed. Just grab some in my room if you want. Andrew looks like he's my size anyways."

With a grateful nod, the couple went on their way and snuck back through the backyard, leaving Daniel with Naruto. Sensing the frustration from the elderly man, Naruto spoke up, "Give her some time. She's still wrapping her head around the fact that her father is more than just a simple barber."

Looking out through the window, Daniel weakly began talking, "She was nine years old… when she first asked me about the war… and why we came to America. I told her, in detail, about the violence, what was done, how we suffered…

"I told her everything," Daniel continued as he turned the faucet on once again and continued scrubbing his tools with a sponge, "Except which man was me. Do you think… she will u-understand...that it was necessary then… to survive!? That it is necessary again!?"

By this point, the tears on Daniel's face were flowing, much to his displeasure.

"I've always had mixed feelings with torture," Naruto began talking as he leaned on the kitchen counter a bit away from Daniel, "In the… village… that I came from, I knew someone from our local police department, in charge of the Interrogation division. She was really good at her job. She explained to me the importance of information gathering and why torture is sometimes the only option. Naturally, at first, I disagreed. I believed-and still do-that we don't need to torture to gain information… But I found myself unable to argue against results. In the end, though she had some… sadistic tendencies, she helped me accept that fact.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is that, if it's any consolation, I understand why you did what you did and why you think it's necessary. You just have to come clean to your only daughter and actually let her get to know her father. To at least try and make her understand, y'know?" Without another word, Naruto headed out, leaving Daniel to his thoughts.

Leaving through the front door and walking back into his own house after what felt like such a long day, Naruto was greeted with the confused expression of his mother.

"I couldn't help but notice that there's a U.S. soldier taking a shower in our bathroom," the older of the two blondes stated as she crossed her arms on her chest, "That wouldn't be your doing, would it?"

"It was either that or what Daniel originally had in mind," Naruto replied with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck in weariness, "Besides, it worked out for the best. I talked to Andrew and convinced him to join us on our little rebellion."

"Did we get what we need outta him?" Madison asked as she let Naruto in the house, to which the whiskered teen did so after closing the front door.

"Thankfully, yes," the whiskered blonde confirmed as he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Taking a pitcher full of cold water out, he went to the counter and grabbed a clean glass, "I'll explain more in detail what information we have later once everyone's back home. Where's Alicia and Travis?"

"Alicia went and spent some time with Chris because she felt bad for him, or so she says," Madison answered whilst her adopted son drank his glass of water, "Travis went to talk to Moyers this morning… I don't know, he hasn't been back yet."

"Alright, well, Imma go look for Chris and Alicia," Naruto decided as he bent down and gave his mom a peck on the cheek, and made for the door, only for said door to swing open.

"Maddie, I'm back!" shouted Travis as he stepped into the front door, a rather shaken expression adorning his face.

"Travis," Madison stood up and made her way to him, noticing the rather distressed state he was in, "What happened to you?"

"Moyers…" Travis began to explain, his distraught expression only deepening, "Moyers is gone."

"What?" both of the blondes in the room uttered in sync.

"While we were on the way to the other facility, we received a distress call from the nearby library… Moyers responded and his whole unit went in. A few minutes later, only his men came back out. No sign of Moyers."

"And the library?" Naruto asked as he wrapped his brain around Travis' tale.

"It was being overrun by the dead when we drove away… Sgt. Castro dropped me off by the gates and then he and his unit drove off."

"So the likeliest outcome is that Moyers was overrun… and his men might have made the decision to leave the douchebag to die.. Or maybe I'm wrong," Naruto thought aloud as Travis took a seat across Madison, "Anyways, I gotta go look for Alicia and Chris. Mom, explain to Travis the… development from the past few hours. Travis… try to calm down, alright? We'll talk more when I get back."

With that out of the way, Naruto left through the front door, leaving his adoptive mother and English teacher.

Travis then turned to Madison, "What happened?"

**-x-**

_**[With Alicia and Chris… - Somewhere in the neighborhood]**_

Wearing what seemed to be an expensive, beige designer dress paired with equally expensive jewelry and heels, as well as blood-red lipstick and make up to top it off, the beautiful Alicia was staring off into space as she took her time in studying the people in the photos above the fireplace.

"Where did they go…?" the beautiful brunette thought out loud, evidently lost in thought, whilst Chris picked up a picture frame and studied it closer, "Do you wonder what happened to them?"

Realizing Alicia was talking to him, Chris snapped out of his own thoughts-_There's a really beautiful girl wearing an almost backless dress and she's talking to him!_-and blurted out, "No."

Turning around and walking off to the side, where a grand piano sat undisturbed under its quilted cover, "These are real people…"

Grabbing the edge of the cover, Alicia pulled it off, revealing the slick, shiny form of the grand piano, "... Built a whole life here."

Sitting down on the leather bench and opening the cover of the keys, Alicia took a deep sigh, "And now…"

All of a sudden, the brown-haired boy dropped the frame on purpose, shattering it. Taking note of her companion, Alicia then picked up the bottle of wine she set down by the foot of the piano bench and downed the remainder of its contents. With the bottle now empty, Alicia mirrored Chris' actions and threw the bottle across the room.

With merely a grin on their faces and the rebellious glint in their eyes, the two companions silently made the decision to… 'redecorate' the place.

Picking up an iron poker next to the fireplace, Chris got to work by swinging it around the furniture. Alicia, on the other hand, was content with merely walking around the house, carrying plates and tossing them on the ground, or knocking over expensive vases and decorations.

"You two seem to be enjoying yourselves."

Clearly startled, the beautiful girl slightly jumped in place as she then turned around to the owner of that familiar voice, "Naruto! W-What are you doing here!?"

_I used my Sage mode to track you down, duh!_ The whiskered blonde-in-question thought silently as he kept on leaning by the door frame, his arms crossed on his chest, "I've been going around the neighborhood, asking if they've seen a pretty brunette and a bratty kid man-child."

Chris physically bristled at the blonde's rudeness towards him, "My name is Chris."

"Oh, I know," Naruto grinned teasingly as he then stood straight and walked further into the room, taking note of the mess the two in front of him had made, "You guys went ham with the place, didn't you? Anything of value we should take?"

"I mean there was a safe up in the room I got this nice dress in… I don't know what's in it though," Alicia answered as she then began walking past Naruto to the staircase, "I'll go and get dressed first."

With a nod, Alicia was gone to the second floor, leaving Naruto and Chris in the living room. Looking at Chris, the blonde spoke, "Go get dressed, kid, everyone's waiting for us."

"For what?" Chris asked, rather annoyed that Naruto was bossing him once more.

"We got some info on where your mom and my brother are," with those words, Chris' annoyance disappeared, replaced by pure attentiveness towards Naruto's words, "Daniel and I have a plan, but everyone has to be there so that we only say what we needa say once. Now go."

Without another word, the brown-haired teen went to a different part of the first floor, leaving Naruto to follow Alicia upstairs. Reaching the second floor, it was easy enough to find where the brunette was with the rather loud noise she was making.

"God...dammit!" Alicia cursed just as Naruto entered what would seem to be the master's bedroom of the house.

"You good, Ali?" the blonde asked whilst the brunette in front of him struggled to reach her back to no avail.

"I had Chris help me zip and clasp up the back earlier… I forgot I couldn't reach it," Alicia admitted bashfully as she then smiled in embarrassment at Naruto, "Can you help me?"

With a chuckle, Naruto got closer, "Turn around, dum-dum."

_Calm yourself, Naruto! _The blonde shouted aloud in his mind as he unclasped the hook from the dress and began unzipping the zipper slowly, _We're just helping Ali get… out of the dress. Nothing to it!_

Unbeknownst to the whiskered blonde, Alicia could see the blushing expression on Naruto's face from the reflection of the mirror right in front of them. With a slightly nervous stutter, the brunette spoke, "H-Hey, Whiskers, you're turning a bit red. Are you feeling alright?"

Clearing his throat and mentally berating himself, Naruto straightened up and stepped back as he began looking around the room, "Uh, yea-yeah, I'm good! It's just a bit hot in here, isn't it?"

Trying to stifle her giggle, Alicia couldn't help but be amused at the rather innocent reaction her adoptive brother was displaying, "It is, just a bit."

"By the way," Naruto spoke up, trying to steer the conversation into less-awkward territory, as he turned around as if to guard the bedroom door, "I saw the tat on your arm. You did it yourself?"

"Yeah…" the brunette glanced rather sadly at her arm and the meaning of the tattoo she made herself while she got out of the dress, leaving her in only her undergarments, "Just a few days ago… It's a reminder, I guess."

Knowing full well that she was talking about her most likely deceased lover, Matt, the whiskered blonde nodded, "I see…"

The next half-minute or so was spent in relative silence as Alicia finished dressing up and Naruto stood guard with his back turned from the brunette.

"Okay," Alicia spoke once more as she began to tie her shoes, "I'm good now. The safe's right in the closet, by the way. At the bottom right corner."

Following the instructions, Naruto made his way in front of the cabinet and sat down on the ground as he took a closer look at the safe. Lifting the small safe, the whiskered blonde then set it down on the little side-table by the bed and pressed his ear on the safe.

"What are you doing?" the brunette asked, having finished dressing up seconds ago, as she took a seat on the other side of the bed.

"Trying to crack it…" Naruto answered weakly as he then began directing chakra towards his ear and began slowly turning the knob that will unlock the safe.

After a few minutes and a rather aggressive 'Shhhh!' from Alicia when Chris came barreling into the room dressed in his regular clothes, Naruto was able to open the safe.

_Thank Kami for the one time I actually listened to Anko-san's lessons!_ The shinobi thought silently while he slowly opened the safe as his two other companions stood up for a closer look, "Alright, let's see what's inside…!"

As the three pairs of eyes took note of the contents on the inside, Chris was the first one to comment, "Damn… that's a big stack of money…"

"Is that…a gun?" Alicia asked in slight trepidation as she watched Naruto grab the gun and skillfully inspected it, taking out its empty magazine.

"Yeah, it's a…," Naruto spoke nonchalantly as he then read the words inscribed on the side, "Smith & Wesson Compact semi-auto."

"Cool…" Chris whispered, slightly awed by how Naruto just seemed to calmly inspect a handgun.

Grabbing the hip holster in the safe, Naruto placed said gun in it and grabbed a little backpack. Shoving the gun in the backpack, the blonde also grabbed the roll of money as well and put it in the bag. Noticing Alicia's questioning gaze, Naruto turned to her and spoke, "We can definitely use the gun. The money, we can maybe use later."

"Hey, these seem to be a pair of SAT phones!" Chris excitedly exclaimed as he took the pair of devices out and turned them on, "They're both working too!"

"How can you tell?" Alicia asked, as she took out a couple small boxes of what seemed to be bullets.

"I, uhh.." Chris looked to the side in slight embarrassment as he turned off the devices and placed them in the backpack as well, "I play Call of Duty a lot… and I'm into tech stuff."

"Oh… that's cool," Alicia nodded with a smile as she then handed the two boxes of bullets to her adoptive brother, "Here, bullets for your real-gun-that's-definitely-not-a-toy."

"Thanks," Naruto zipped the bag up as he then stood, having cleaned out the safe for anything useful and placed it on his back. Turning to the other two, the whiskered blonde nodded and walked out of the room a second later, "Let's head back. Our guest is waiting."

With that, the trio left the expensive house and headed home.

**-x-**

_**[A little later… - Clark Household]**_

As soon as Naruto, Alicia, and Chris got back in the house, Madison and Travis quickly gathered everyone around the living room. With the rather frustrated expression on Travis' face, Naruto assumed that his mother already filled him in about Daniel's rather grievous approach towards their problem at hand.

"So...Now that everyone's here," Naruto began talking as everyone got seated on the couch, excluding Daniel, who was leaning on the wall behind him, Andrew, who was seating on a stool to his right, and Ofelia who was standing beside the soldier, "We have some pretty serious problems on our hands."

Before Naruto continued, however, Travis turned to his son, who was sitting next to Alicia, "Chris, can you go to your room for now?"

"What?" Chris asked, clearly puzzled and not wanting to, as his temper began rising at his dad, "No, if this is about mom-"

However, Travis was rather adamant, "Chris, please-"

"Enough!" Naruto yelled aloud, his frustrations getting the better of him as he stopped the father and son from arguing further, "Travis, like it or not, your son isn't a child anymore! He's one of us and he needs to hear this! You want him to start acting like an adult? Start treating him like one!"

Without any more interruptions from his audience-though the smirk on Alicia's lips and the rather grateful expression on Chris' face was clearly evident-the whiskered blonde took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Andrew, please, tell them about 'Cobalt'…"

The soldier was, at first, reluctant to talk, but Ofelia offered him support as she rested her hand on his shoulder, and so the next few minutes were spent by Andrew explaining about 'Cobalt' and Moyers' order for the troops.

"You mean to say…," Madison asked, wide-eyed, as she tried to make sense of the information, "Our own military decided to bomb Los Angeles?"

"As far as I know…," Andrew admitted, ashamed of the one thing he swore to believe in, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Clark, but we have to get your family outta here."

"But what about Nick!?" Alicia asked aloud as panic began rising in the pits of her stomach.

"Dad, what about Mom!?" Chris, mirroring the brunette's reaction, asked as he turned to his dad.

"Calm down," Naruto cut in once more before the emotions in the room took control, "That's where Daniel, Andrew, and I come in."

"What do you mean?" Travis asked as he and Madison shared a slightly worried and confused look.

"We'll pack it up here. We have to leave the city, maybe follow your original plan, Mom," the shinobi began explaining as he went into detail whilst he looked at each and everyone of the people in front of him, "It's an hour before sun down, so we have time. Once night-time rolls in, we're gonna sneak into the other compound that Andrew spoke of."

"How are we gonna sneak into a heavily-guarded place?" Madison asked aloud, voicing everyone's question.

"I was getting to that," Naruto answered back as he started thinking, "The compound is literally just the community college that Alicia was looking to transfer to after graduation. It'll be tricky but I think… with the right diversion, we'll be able to get in while the personnel are busy…"

"I can help with that, I think," Andrew stated as he gained everyone's attention, "There's a… a stadium full of the infected a couple blocks from the compound… If we let them out and, maybe, lead them to the compound…"

"That's a bit on the crazy side…" Chris commented weakly as he imagined in his mind a horde of ghoulish brain-eaters, "What if the compound gets overrun?"

"**So that's where the smell was coming from the other night…!"** Kurama's voice boomed from within the mindscape, making his container slightly jump in place.

_Shit, you startled me! _The whiskered blonde thought in return as he composed himself once more, Glad to see you're awake though.

"**Couldn't help but hear the apparent gears in your mind from turning,"** the nine-tailed fox replied as he grinned, though Naruto couldn't see that, **"Don't mind me, I'm just here to listen in on the plan and for the inevitable time when it's your turn to let loose again!"**

_You destructive furball, you!_ Naruto teased as he focused on Chris' question once more and answered, "It would be unfortunate… But those people already abandoned us."

"Each for our own now…" Travis mumbled, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear, as anger flashed in his visage, "The people that swore an oath to protect us…"

Ignoring Travis' muttering, the whiskered blonde continued, "Andrew's plans, while a bit dangerous, has its perks. While someone draws the horde towards the compound, Andrew leads a couple people through the compound to find Nick, Griselda, and Liza."

"I will lead the horde to the compound," Daniel volunteered as he got closer to Naruto.

"Papa!" Ofelia protested as she turned to her father, "It's not safe!"

"Do not worry," the bald man placated his daughter with as much confidence as he can muster, "I am strong enough to fend for myself."

"It's alright," Andrew chimed in, "The road from here to the compound has been cleaned out of any stragglers since there's always patrols around, especially the area near the compound."

"Then it's decided," the whiskered blonde spoke aloud, "Daniel will lead the infected to the front gates, while we sneak into the back, through the parking garage that leads into the campus. Andrew, how's the map looking?"

Just like that, the next few hours were spent ironing out the plans for tonight as well as packing up all the essentials they'd need for the long trip ahead.

**-x-**

_**[A few hours later…]**_

"Alicia, get in the car," Madison ordered her daughter, who was leaning on the side of the sedan, whilst she carried the last baggage to the trunk, "We're leaving in a few minutes."

Following her mother's words, the brunette took a seat in the back, beside Chris, who was quietly waiting. Just as Madison finished loading the last bag in the trunk, the sound of a dog barking caused her to turn around.

"What is it?" Ofelia asked as she walked down the driveway and stood by Madison, who was quietly watching someone from the neighborhood walk his dog.

"My neighbors don't know," Madison answered, slightly worried about the neighborhood's residents.

Scoffing to herself with what seems to be bitterness, Ofelia walked towards the SUV next to the sedan and placed her bag in the back seat, "They did nothing when they came for us."

"That's not their fault and you know that," Naruto chimed in good-naturedly as he walked his motorbike down the driveway from the garage, "Chill, O. We're gonna get your mom and then we're gonna ride off into the sunset!"

The older brunette couldn't stop the smile forming on her face due to the blonde's contagious positivity as she went back inside the house, followed by Naruto.

As the two of them entered the house, Daniel sat on the couch next to Madison, now wearing a tan jacket with fur collars and a neutral look on his face, "It's almost time."

"Right, before I forget," Naruto went to his room to grab a duffel bag and a backpack and came back out quickly, "I have some goodies."

Just in time, Travis and Andrew walked back in from the backyard. Seeing them come in, Naruto beckoned for Andrew to come closer, "Army dude, come take a look and choose your poison."

Slightly, confused, Andrew stood beside the whiskered blonde and looked through the open duffel bag, "These… These are military-grade weapons! Where'd you get your hands on these!?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto answered weakly, "It's a… long story. I'll tell you more once we get far away from here."

"Fair enough…," Andrew nodded, sensing the blonde's reluctance to answer, as he picked up the M27 rifle and inspected it, while Daniel stood up from his seat and took a closer look at the bag.

"There's a shotgun in here and a couple shells," Naruto stated as the old man merely nodded and picked up the gun, inspecting it as well.

"Travis, where's the gun I gave you and the shotgun from the Tran's?" the whiskered blonde asked, prompting the curly-haired man to go and grab it from the side yard, where his truck was.

A minute or so later, Travis walked back in holding the shotgun and the pistol, "Here you go…"

Making their rounds inspecting the guns, Andrew and Daniel worked quickly to make sure they were all in working condition, while Naruto took out the contents of the backpack he and Alicia looted from the rich-people house.

Turning his attention to Andrew, who just completed inspecting the shotgun and reloading it, Naruto spoke, "There's some stuff that I looted from an abandoned house the other day. See if we can use it."

"You know how to use this?" Andrew asked Travis as he handed the shotgun to the curly-haired man and took the other hand gun and holster from Naruto.

"I, uhh, I know how to use them," the English teacher admitted as he slung the rifle over his shoulder and placed the extra shells in his jacket pocket, "My dad used to take me hunting when I was young. I just never felt comfortable with guns is all."

Nodding at Travis' admission, Andrew quickly inspected the gun and loaded its magazine with the spare bullets from the boxes Naruto gave him, the soldier gave it back to Naruto. Thanking Andrew, Naruto then took out the two SAT phones and handed them to Andrew, "Here ya go, you seem to know your way around military equipment. There's a pair of SAT phones in there too, or at least that's what Chris called 'em. I'm gonna go double check my room."

With that, Naruto left the four to decide what to do with the guns.

"**Is it time yet?"** Kurama asked, just as Naruto closed his door and began changing into his more battle-oriented gear, which he took out from the storage seal on his left forearm.

_Just about, bud. You up for this?_ The whiskered blonde asked as he put on his long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, tightened the belt on his black cargo pants, and worked on his boots.

"**You kidding me?"** the tailed beast asked rhetorically while his container secured the holsters for the tantos strapped on his shins, **"It's either take a nap or help you beat up people. Trust me, I'm up for it."**

_Good to know,_ Naruto nodded his head as he put on his steel-plated gloves and forearm guards. Making sure it's tightly secured, the blonde strapped his kunai pouch on his right thigh and resealed the rest of his equipment he won't be using back in the scroll and into the storage seal, _'Cause I have a feeling Sage Mode will be needed a lot tonight._

"**Oh, brat, whatever would you do without me?"** Kurama asked mockingly while his container took out the last remaining 'valued' piece of clothing, an orange puffer vest, he left in his closet and put it on.

_Probably dying on contact as soon as we were sent to this world,_ Naruto replied in turn, a reminiscent smile gracing his face as he picked up the final piece of his ensemble: his forehead protector. Bringing it to his forehead, the Jinchuriki tied it tightly on his forehead and exited out his room, picking up his duffel bag full of spare clothes and essentials.

"**You got all your scrolls?"** Kurama asked in teasingly, as if to act like a parent reminding his child.

_It's in a storage scroll on my other forearm. Don't worry, Kurama-Sensei-Sama, I made sure to sweep my room this morning_, Naruto answered in an equally mocking tone as he approached Andrew, who was the only one left standing in the living room. Taking note of his military jacket and vest on, the shinobi spoke, "Y'all decided who gets what toy?"

"Yeah, Mr. Salazar took the shotgun and one of the pistols, Mr. Manawa kept the guns he had before. I have one of the SAT phones, while Mr. Salazar has the other. I'm gonna take the rifle if that's alright with you," Andrew said, earning a nod from the blonde. Taking in Naruto's attire as the both of them exited the house, the soldier couldn't help but notice the metal pieces on the blonde's arms and forehead, "You a part of some black ops operation, kid? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a soldier."

Chuckling softly as he reached his motorbike and sat on it, "Something like that. Maybe I'll tell you more later. Let's get outta this predicament first, shall we? You remember the plan?"

Opening the driver's door of the SUV, Andrew answered while Daniel rolled down the backseat window, "We'll drop Mr. Salazar off near the stadium where the infected are locked up. While he leads the horde away, Mr. Manawa, Mrs. Clark, and the rest of us are to go the long way around and enter the compound through the garage."

"I will meet you through the garage once I make sure the infected are distracted with the front gate," the bald man chimed in from his seat behind the driver's spot.

"Alright, let's do this," Naruto stated as he started the engine of his bike and revved it a bit. A few seconds later, Andrew's SUV began moving forward, followed by Madison's sedan, and finally, Travis' pick-up truck, with the curly-haired man nodding at the blonde shinobi as he exited the driveway and followed the sedan.

Before Naruto began moving forward, however, he made his familiar 'plus' sign with his pointer and middle fingers, and whispered, _"__**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__ (Shadow Clone Technique)."_

Barely a second later, six exact copies of Naruto either stood or was down on a knee beside him, all of which were looking at the original. Speaking calmly, the blonde shinobi gave his orders, "Three of you go and make sure the infected that Daniel will be leading are thinned out. Make sure the old man's safe."

Just as he finished his last word, three of the shadow clones _**Shunshin'd **__(Body Flickered)_ and were instantly out of sight.

Turning on his headlight, Naruto spoke once more, this time a bit louder due to his engine, "You three sneak into the compound and make sure that, once we have Nick, Liza, and Griselda, everyone else gets out safely. Be seen if you need to be, but stay alive as long as possible. Dispel if there's an emergency you can't handle."

With that, Naruto drove off, increasing his speed as his motorbike easily caught up to Travis' pickup truck.

Not even a few minutes later, their little convoy came to a stop, making Daniel and Travis get out. Seeing this, Naruto asked out loud as he made eye-contact with Travis, "We clear?"

Looking at the front gate, where the soldiers were usually all stationed, Travis looked back at his step-son once more, "Looks like. There are no guards at all."

With Daniel operating the gate controls, the one thing separating the Dead Zone from the Quarantine Zone slowly swung open. Within the next minute, the little convoy was once again back on the road.

Once again, before the blonde moved forward, he made his cross-sign and uttered the familiar words, making another set of six.

"**While I realize you're saving your chakra… I do believe the two-thirds you already have from your original amount are enough. Just thought I'd share, in case you were dying of anxiety," **Kurama stated matter-of-factly, earning a sigh from the blonde out of what seemed to be relief, **"You've been progressing a lot with regaining your abilities, gaki. Trust in yourself."**

_Thanks furball,_ Naruto uttered gratefully to his tenant, his worries assuaged for the moment, as he turned to his second set of copies, "I want you six to try and go around the neighborhood. Let everyone know about the situation."

With a consecutive nod, the copies went about their different directions, leaving Naruto to once again ride forward and catch up to Travis as the blonde thought to himself, _It's unfortunate that I can't help everyone. This is the best I can do, but it, at least, gives those people a chance. We can't save everyone but we'll do our best. Right, partner?_

"**Damn straight."**

**-x-**

_**[A little later… - The Compound]**_

"They're saying Edwards is taking over after Moyers," a soldier stated matter-of-factly as he leaned on the railing of the little lookout tower overlooking the north gate of the compound he and his fellow soldier were stationed in.

"Who's saying Edwards?" the other soldier asked as he scoffed and blew the smoke from his cigarette and stretched his limbs.

"Superiors, who else," the previous soldier answered haughtily as he looked beyond the gate and surveyed the area.

"There's no superiors left, man," the other soldier scoffed, "There's no one."

Just before the previous soldier could retort his cohort's comment, a bald man waltzed in front of the gate with a flashlight in his right hand casually, as if he was strolling in the park.

"The hell is this?" the soldier with the cigarette asked aloud as he straightened up and flicked his cancer stick to the ground below and shined the industrial lamp beside him towards the middle-aged man, "Is he turned?"

The other soldier squinted his eyes and pointed the business-end of the mounted machine gun he was holding towards the casually walking civilian, "The dead don't use tools, man… He could be infected."

Just then the bald man stopped in front of the gate and looked up to the soldiers, smiling as he did so, "Nice night, gentlemen."

"Sir, you're entering a restricted area," the soldier who had the cigarette yelled below towards Daniel, "Stay where you are. I don't wanna have to shoot you, old man."

Undeterred by the clear threat, Daniel yelled back mockingly and cupped his mouth with one hand, "You should save your ammunition."

Then the old man walked away towards the other direction from where he came from, looking back from where he came from as he did so. Following the old man's line of sight, the soldier with the machine gun paled as he recognized the growing volume of groaning and snarling. As his companion shined his light towards the direction, both the soldiers wore expressions of fear.

There were infecteds. Lots of them.

"Oh my god…" the soldier with the machine gun whispered once as he slightly began shaking, "Oh, god!"

"Holy shit!" the other soldier with the lamp exclaimed as he radioed in and reported, "Multiple infected northwest corner!"

Unbeknownst to the soldiers firing at will, three fast-moving figures decimated the hundreds of reanimations in the back, moving in-between the dead who were too slow to react to their chakra-induced movements as the figures moved in tandem.

Using the cover of darkness to thin out the herd, they're chakra-coated tantos effortlessly severed their intended targets, while the alarms within the compound blared.

Yet it seemed the horde of undead was never-ending.

**-x-**

_**[The parking garage on the other side of the compound]**_

"I led them to the north gate," Daniel said as he jogged towards Ofelia and the rest of the group, stopping as he reached his daughter's side, "So all the soldiers are distracted. We can go now. We should move."

In the distance, shouting and gunfire were heard. Taking notice of this, Andrew checked his magazine once more and loaded his rifle, turning the safety off as he did so, "We need to move quickly and quietly. I'll take point. Mr. Salazar and Mr. Manawa, if you would, cover my six. The rest should stay here."

"I'm coming with you," Madison declared, the look in her eyes showing that no amount of talking-to would change her decision.

"I go where my father goes," Ofelia stated as she stood beside her father and pleaded to Andrew silently with her eyes.

Sighing as he relented, Andrew spoke once more, "Fine. Mr. Salazar, right behind me with O and Mrs. Clarke. Mr. Manawa, cover our rear."

With a nod, the 'adults' grabbed their firearms and prepared to move, while Travis approached his son.

"Chris," the father began talking as he looked his son in the eyes and held both his shoulders, "If things go sideways, if you see anything, you drive. Take the SUV and you drive to the campground. If we're more than thirty minutes, drive."

"Dad, don't leave me here," Chris pleaded as he felt his father's worry through the look Travis was giving him, "I can help. I want to. Let me."

"Bringing him a little closer, Travis wrapped one arm around his son, "We'll find you, I promise."

"I don't even drive yet…"

Hearing their conversation, Madison approached the two, "Alicia can drive if it comes to that."

"And I'm here to beat up anyone who even thinks about approaching Ali and the nerd," Naruto chimed in as he casually flipped a kunai in his hand whilst he stood next to Alicia.

"You're gonna be okay, son," Travis assured Chris as he squeezed his son's shoulder one last time and walked towards Andrew and the others.

"You kids take care of each of each other, you hear me?" Madison asked of Chris as she looked between the three teenagers. Turning around and hugging Alicia, Madison whispered softly, "Take care of the boys."

"Mhm," was the brunette's only reply.

Letting go of her daughter, Madison walked towards her adopted son as he looked her straight in the eyes, Naruto's cerulean orbs seeming to burn brightly.

"Alicia and Chris will be safe," the blonde declared as Madison reached up to Naruto's head and ruffled his hair affectionately, "I promise."

"I know," with a nod, Madison turned around and followed Travis, gripping what seemed to be a hatchet in her hand.

"Naruto," Daniel spoke aloud before he followed Madison, earning the blonde's attention. Chucking a device towards Naruto, the old man spoke once more, "Here's the other SAT phone. We'll radio in when we get our people back."

Then, Daniel disappeared into the door leading into the campus, leaving Naruto, Alicia, and Chris in the garage.

**-x-**

_**[Outside the Compound… - with the Shadow Clones]**_

Thinning out the herd wasn't working.

Between him and the two other copies, trying to fight what seemed to be the majority of El Sereno's former residents was becoming impossible.

"Fucking Kami…," the Naruto-clone whispered softly to himself as he finished off another reanimated corpse and breathed heavily, jumping on top of a tree branch to catch his breath, "the Boss sucks."

"Stop your whining," another one of the clones softly chided him as he landed next to his fellow clone, seemingly just as spent, "If we don't do this, the compound will fall and the people inside will be in danger."

Then, the other clone jumped back into the fray, leaving the previous clone alone once more.

Just as the other clone could retort, the whirring of helicopter blades overhead reached the Naruto-copy's ears, making him look up to the night sky, "That's a rescue chopper…"

Barely a few minutes later, the aircraft that was seemingly reluctant to land in the compound turned around and flew off into the other direction, its whirring disappearing in the distance.

"Looks like the army abandoned its people…" the Naruto-clone reckoned as he made yet another clone and spoke, dispelling the clone a second later, "The Boss needs to know this."

**-x-**

"Ah, shit."

Hearing the whiskered blonde curse from the backseat, Chris turned his head from the driver's seat and looked at Naruto, "What is it?"

"Nothing…," Naruto weakly replied as he shook his head and made eye-contact with Alicia on the passenger's seat, who slightly looked unconvinced.

Taking the blonde's words at face value, Chris sat back properly in his seat and stared ahead. Not even a minute later, his impatience getting the better of him, he opened the door and stepped out, "This is crazy."

"They'll come back," Alicia reassured the brown-haired teen in the hopes of making him stay in the car, to no avail, as Chris closed the door and walked in front of the SUV.

Deciding to follow the troubled teen, Alicia and Naruto opened their respective car-doors and stepped out of the vehicle, with Naruto going over to his bike and leaning on it while Alicia continued speaking, "If they can't get in, they'll come back."

His worries still quite there, Chris responded, "And leave the others?"

Not knowing quite what to say, the brunette used her default response to just about everything-sarcasm-as she replied in kind, "Would you rather they all died?"

Shaking his head in frustration, "I don't want anyone to die. I don't want that."

"You sound like your dad…"

"Yeah, well, he tries."

Just then, a rather loud thump rang out from somewhere within the garage, followed by the now-slightly louder echo of the undead. Somewhere close by.

Though she knew her words wouldn't exactly help, Alicia continued speaking, as she looked at Chris solemnly, "You… You can't save everyone."

The brunette's pessimism now getting to him, Chris asked, "Why the hell would you say that?"

"Because you can't.," Alicia admitted, as the face of her probably-dead lover appeared in her mind, "Sorry, it's just the tr-"

"You two," Naruto's voice interrupted the brunette, making the two turn to the blonde, who was looking past beyond the SUV and at the other end of the floor they were on, "In the car. Right now."

Following Naruto's field of vision, Chris and Alicia could barely make out the shadows slowly appearing from the other side, where the wall was being shined upon by a light.

Naruto called out to them once more as he cracked his neck, "Ali, Chris. Right now."

Without another word, the two followed the blonde's orders as they both got into the front seat and closed the door as silently as they could. Looking through the windshield, Ali mouthed to her adoptive brother, "Come inside!"

Taking note of this, the blonde merely sent a confident smile and a thumbs up to the brunette as he leaned on his bike once more and mouthed back to Alicia, motioning with his hand as he did so, "Alive. Get down."

The two teens, though confused, understood what Naruto told them and did as they were told. Whispering to Chris, "If they're dead, they'll just keep walking, right? I mean, Naruto's out there to take care of them…"

"He said 'alive', Alicia," Chris reminded the girl as they both tried to hide themselves from the windows, "It might be the soldiers."

With both of his charges quietly hiding in the car, Naruto stared ahead and waited for whoever-whatever-was heading towards them. Barely a second later, three armed soldiers walked into view, the lights within the garage illuminating their faces.

One of the soldiers, a middle-aged man with an unkempt beard, aimed a rifle at the blonde, who was casually leaning on a motorbike, and spoke aloud, "Is that an infected?"

Mirroring his friend, the other soldier, shorter than the previous army-man, aimed his rifle at Naruto, only to relax his arms a second later, "Nah, that's a kid, man."

"What are you doing here, kid?" Their final companion, probably the tallest one out of the three, asked as he got closer to Naruto and stood beside the van. Looking into the window, he recognized two more teens inside, trying to hide themselves in vain, "These your friends?"

"We're waiting for some people from inside the compound," Naruto answered casually as he crossed his arms in-between his chest, "Those two kids were told to stay behind. I'm watching over them for the time being."

The soldier with the scruffy beard chuckled as he then knocked on the driver's seat, where Chris was in, yet the brown-haired teen, though he and the brunette next to did sit up, refused to open the door. Seeing this, the scruffy soldier irritatedly glared at Naruto, "Kid, you better tell your friends to open the door and get outta the car if you know what's good for you."

"Sir," the blonde smiled as he stood up from his seated position and pocketed his hands in a relaxed posture, though he was anything but, "With all due respect, this is our car and we need this to get back home."

"I won't ask again."

Sighing, the blonde Jinchuriki then looked at Alicia and Chris and nodded at them as he motioned the two to exit the SUV, "Come out!"

Fear slightly bubbling up from the pits of their stomach, the two teenagers stepped out of the vehicle and were pulled by the two other soldiers to stand beside each other in front of the car.

"What do you guys want?" Chris asked out loud as he tried to hide his fear, though it was to no avail.

"Transport," the shorter soldier answered, "Son, just give us the keys."

Shaking his head slightly, Chris replied, "No."

Chuckling at the boy's stubbornness, despite being obviously scared, the scruffy soldier insisted, "Come on, man. We'll take you with us."

"We're not going anywhere," declared the brown-haired teen.

"**Should you really just stand there while the kid over there gets closer to pissing his pants?" **Kurama asked as his container silently stood by the side and watched the altercation unfold.

_I'll step in if I need to, don't worry,_ Naruto silently answered back as he fingered the kunai behind his forearm, out of the soldiers' sights, _I'm not always gonna be around to fight their fights. This way, they slowly learn to stand up for themselves. Look at Alicia, silently feeling out the situation._

Naruto was right, for the brunette, though slightly fearful, was subtly taking note of the soldiers' firearms and the space between them and her. Just like Naruto taught her.

"Suit yourself," the sort soldier arrogantly nodded as he then stepped into Alicia's personal bubble and rested his hands on her shoulder, "What about you, girl?"

Seeing this, Chris lost his temper and tried to take the soldier's grubby hands off the brunette, "Hey, you leave her alone. Leave her-!"

The short soldier violently pushed Chris back towards the tall one, who in turn, pinned Chris on the hood of the car.

"Stop it!" Alicia yelled as she made eye contact with Naruto, who silently nodded his head, "I have the keys!"

The brunette then took the keys out of her pocket and handed it to the scruffy soldier, making the tall one let go of Chris.

Yet, not quite satisfied with Alicia's reaction, the short soldier placed his hand on Alicia once more, this time a bit more suggestively, "You sure you don't wanna come with-"

Just then, his hand was suddenly slapped away from Alicia's shoulder and, as if he teleported, Naruto stood in-between her and the soldier, "The lady said no. So back off."

Slightly unprepared for the blonde's interference, the two other soldiers were speechless as they both thought the same thing:

_When did he move?_

The short pervert of a soldier, however, wasn't quite happy with the defiance in the whiskered blonde's eyes and cocked his fist towards the Naruto, "You little piece of-"

The fist never reached its target.

Instead, Naruto acted ahead of time and, with a chakra-induced kick, sent the soldier flying back towards the wall. Then, acting faster than the other soldiers could keep up with, the whiskered blonde sent a kunai flying towards the tall man's hand who was going for his sidearm, earning a yelp of pain from said soldier.

Not finished yet, however, Naruto then rushed the scruffy soldier and delivered an uppercut, jumping to the side merely a second later to avoid the army man's swipe with his rifle. Unfortunately, Naruto's hit didn't take the soldier down, as the scruffy man then aimed his rifle towards the blonde, though he groaned from the pain, "Stop-ugh! Stop or I'll shoot!"

Snarling as he did so, Naruto halted his movements, though the other kunai from his other hand was ready to fly at any second, as Alicia and Chris ran for cover behind one of the pillars next to the SUV.

The soldier surveyed his two companions: the short one lying on his stomach, unconscious, while the tall one sat on the ground writhing in pain while he clutched his bloodied hand. Looking back at the blonde teen, "Goddamn you! All we wanted was the car!"

"You should've controlled your soldier friend then," Naruto responded in turn as he leveled his own glare at the soldier, "His perverted ass shoulda kept his hands to himself."

"L-Let's just go, Doyle," the tall soldier blurted out as he stood up and slowly walked up to the scruffy man with a rifle, trying to calm the tension in the air, "Collins was a dick anyways! Shooting your rifle will just draw 'em here! They're kids! Let's leave them kids and go!"

Reluctantly, the soldier named Doyle slowly lowered his rifle and looked at his unconscious companion. Taking a deep breath, he then walked up to Collins and heaved the sleeping pervert up to his feet, "Pickard, go and hotwire the pickup truck over there. I'll put this fool in the back seat."

Before he followed Pickard, who walked off towards the other end of the garage where a pickup was, Doyle turned around and looked at Naruto, "We'll go. I'm sorry about this dumbass. You guys needa hurry up and get outta here. The compound will be overrun by those infected soon."

He then turned around and dragged his sleeping friend to their stolen vehicle. Within a few minutes, the three soldiers drove away and were out of sight, leaving Naruto, Chris, and Alicia in the parking garage.

With the soldiers now gone, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he turned around to his two companions who were making their way to him from behind the pillar they were leaning on, "You two alright?"

Merely nodding in confirmation, Chris and Alicia were still quite anxious about what happened, as Alicia looked up to the blonde, "W-What now?"

"Now, we wait."

**-x-**

_**[Meanwhile… - With Andrew and adults]**_

Silently sneaking into the compound was easy.

The lack of guards manning key positions, like the set of the doors they came through, made it easy for Andrew to quickly get Daniel and the others into the compound.

"The holding area's through here," Andrew whispered as they approached a door just like all the others, "There might still be guards so we'll have to stay quiet."

Seeing his newfound companions nod, Andrew opened the door, as silent as possible, and stepped through.

"Good, you're here."

Poised to strike merely inches from his face, stood none other than Naruto, as he then loosened his stance and brought his tanto down to his side, earning a surprised gulp from the soldier.

"Naruto?" Andrew uttered, quite confused-and frankly fearing for his life in that single second-as he tried to make sense of how the blonde was here. Hearing the name aloud, Madison and Travis pushed Andrew through and entered after him.

"Naruto? How are you here?" Madison inquired, confusion and worry forming on her face, as she noted the dozens of people behind Naruto hugging the wall, "What's going on here? Where's Chris and Alicia?"

"Look, mom," Naruto rested his hands on the older blonde's shoulders, "They're safe… probably with the Boss. Right now, we gotta get to safety. Find Nick and get outta here. Follow the other one over there."

Pointing towards the middle of the holding center, Madison saw another exact replica of Naruto, trying to calmly tell the remaining 'prisoners' to fall in line. Before anyone else could ask their questions, however, the Naruto in front of them spoke once more, "I will answer all your questions later. I know you're all confused. But time is of the essence. Follow the other clone and find Nick."

"What about you?" Travis asked, still quite confused, but reluctant to let the Naruto-clone go, "Don't tell me you're gonna go somewhere else."

"I can handle myself, I promise," Naruto insisted as he then looked at Daniel, Ofelia, and Andrew, "Keep 'em safe. I'll see you guys later."

Without looking back, Naruto began prompting the people behind him to follow as he and the rest of the 'prisoners' left from the door Andrew and the 'adults' came in from.

Trying to focus at the task at hand, Andrew began walking down the stairs and approached the other Naruto replica, "Hey… Naruto's twin? I don't know what the hell is going on, but we need to get going."

With his previous task now done, the blonde shinobi-clone nodded at Andrew and the rest of his group. Turning around a second later, he took out one of his tantos and, infusing it with chakra, sliced through the chains holding the gate leading to the backdoor, "Griselda, Nick, and Liza aren't here, but a couple of the detainees mentioned someone. A rich guy in a suit escaping with a teenager who kept on puking."

Exiting the holding area with the clone and Andrew taking point, the group entered the hallways of the school. Looking around, Daniel spoke up, "Where to next?"

"I don't know…," Andrew admitted as he tried to think of anywhere else the soldiers could put the detained civilians, "Maybe the upsta-"

"Shhh," Naruto prompted as he rested a hand on the soldier's arm, as he closed his eyes and pumped chakra to his ears, "You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ofelia asked softly, trying to listen to whatever the blonde was hearing, with others doing the same.

There was knocking and banging.

"I hear it!" Andrew yelled as he began jogging towards the hallway to their right, "This way!"

As they all got closer to what seemed to be two adjacent doors, Travis, who was keeping up with Andrew at the front, recognized the boy on the other side of the closed door, "It's Nick!"

"Mom! Naruto!" Nick yelled from the other side, though it was coming through weakly due to the door and the little window's thickness, as he repeatedly rapped on the window, "Mom!"

"Nick!" Madison yelled back as they reached the doors and tried to open it from their side, "Open it! Travis, open it!"

"I'm trying!" Travis shouted back as he, Andrew, and Daniel tried to pull the door open.

"We'll get you out!" Madison continued on as she tried to find a slit on the door, or maybe a button on the wall beside it, anything to get the troubled child, "Nick, no!"

"Look out, they're coming!" Ofelia shouted from the back as she watched through the window, the dozens of infected slowly getting closer to Nick and the rich guy.

Realizing that there might not be an escape to this, Nick looked at his mother from the other side of the door and spoke aloud, his eyes wide and tears threatening to fall down, "Mom. Go."

"Madison, look out!" a familiar voice shouted as the rushing form of Liza reached the side of the door, key card in hand, "Move!"

"Hurry!" the blonde woman shouted as she saw an infected mere yards away from Nick.

"It's not working!" Liza bellowed as she repeatedly swiped the keycard, to no avail.

Just then, the wind slightly began to pick up from around them and a blue glow emanated from what seemed to be Naruto's palm, where a spiralling sphere of pure energy spun. Holding his wrist with his other hand, Naruto looked at Nick and at the door, as he then hopped back a few steps, "Everyone, outta the way!"

Andrew, Ofelia, and Madison pulled Daniel and Travis to the side, while Nick did the same with his new companion, as the whiskered blonde then rushed to the door and slammed the spinning ball of chakra on the door's surface. Exactly where the locks would be.

An audible explosion happened next, and a second later, Naruto was swinging the door wide open from the hole he somehow made and pulled both Nick and the suit-clad man from being undead snacks, shouting as he did so, "Let's go, let's go!"

"What was…?" Madison asked as she and the rest of the group looked at Naruto and the spinning ball of energy that was now dispersing into the air on his palm.

"I'll explain later!" the blonde stated as he looked at everyone for a second and then pointed ahead of them, "Let's go!"

Acting fast, Liza ran towards the staircase to their right and headed downstairs, "Follow me! This way!"

While Naruto and the rest of the group followed Liza, the blonde then felt a surge of energy enter his body, as the familiar sensation of Nature energy invigorated him, "Shit…"

"**Looks like one of the copies made a call,"** Kurama mused as he started gathering Nature energy himself in case his container needed it, **"Meaning it's getting worse out there if your clones decided to use Sage Mode."**

Deciding to focus on getting out of here first, Naruto and the rest soon reached the ground level as they arrived into what seemed to be the kitchen.

"Hush up," Liza whispered as she walked into the room first, with Madison Travis, and Andrew right behind her.

Sneaking around the place, the group tried to stay as quiet as possible, making sure not to cause any loud noises. All of a sudden, just as Liza walked around the corner, an infected appeared as if out of nowhere and attempted to pin her on the kitchen surface.

"Ahh!" Liza shouted whilst she fought the growling reanimation from taking a bite.

"Papa!?" Ofelia yelled as another infected appeared from another room, blocking the path she was about to walk into, while more entered from behind the undead.

Years of experience making him think rationally, Daniel cocked his shotgun and aimed at the undead's forehead and pulled the trigger, splattering its remains on the wall. All around the group, dozens of infected seemed to filter into the room, barring the potential exits as everyone with a firearm then began to openfire, with the rich man even pulling out his own handgun and dropping a couple infected.

"Hey!" Ofelia bellowed as she approached the reanimation pinning Liza down on the kitchen counter, earning said undead's attention. Acting fast, Ofelia then swung the hedge shear she held, effectively slicing through the infected head.

With an iron mallet in her hand, Madison aggressively bopped a zombie who tried to grab her shoulders, with Nick quickly coming to her side and delivering the finishing blow. Naruto, for his part, helped the gun-toting members of his group by taking down the ones who were shuffling a bit too close for a rifle or gun to be safely shot.

"Stay down!" the blonde shouted as his chakra-infused tantos cut through the air and the reanimations like hot knife through butter, "There's too many! We need to go now!"

With the path in front of them cleared, Liza beckoned for the rest to follow her once more as the group finally exited the kitchen, "Where's Chris?"

"He's safe," Travis answered as he and the rest of the group walked through the cafeteria, "Outside the compound with Alicia and Naruto… Well, with Alicia now."

"Don't worry, they're safe," the Naruto-clone answered, as he made sure to stay in the back in case there were more after them, "I promise you that, Liza. Right now, we gotta find another way out."

"We gotta go back to the medical ward," Liza said as they passed through the adjacent doors leading to the hallway, "We get back there, Exner will know."

"Block the doors," Naruto ordered as he went to the janitor's room beside the cafeteria doors, followed by the rich man, as he grabbed two mops and handed one to said rich person, "It won't hold them forever, but it'll give us some time to get some space away from the dead."

"So, who're you?" Madison asked the rich man as he and Nick made sure the door was secured.

"This is Strand," Nick answered for the person, named Strand, as they now tried to catch up to Daniel and the rest of them, "he saved my life."

"Less talking, more getting outta here," Naruto chimed in with a grin as he slapped Nick's back in a brotherly way, "I don't wanna spend anymore time in a school of any kind than I need to."

Meanwhile, Daniel, along with Ofelia, pulled Liza to the side as the group went through another set of stairs and asked her the one question he's been meaning to ask, "Liza, where is my wife?"

Averting the old man's eyes, Liza could do nothing but to shamefully look towards the floor as she replied solemnly, "I'm sorry, Daniel."

"Where is she?" the daughter asked, disbelief in her eyes, as Liza turned to her, "Tell me."

"The infection took her… Everything that could be done was," Liza explained, her voice slightly quivering, "It was just too late."

Tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Ofelia blurted out, "Where? I wanna see her."

Seeing her daughter slowly break into pieces, Daniel stepped in and hugged Ofelia tightly, "Ofelia…"

"No, Papa, no," the daughter weakly sobbed as she struggled to get herself out of her father's embrace, "No, I want to see my mother-!"

Placing a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulders, Liza whispered as her tearful eyes looked straight into Ofelia's, "There's nothing left to see."

With that, Liza went and followed the rest of the group, where, unbeknownst to the Salazars and Liza, Naruto stayed in the back and listened in on the sad news.

"**It's not your fault, brat,"** Kurama whispered to his container as Ofelia and Daniel rejoined the formation, **"You did everything you could."**

Tightening his hold on his tantos, Naruto thought to himself as he stayed in the back, _Did I? Do everything I can?_

The few minutes of traveling to the medical bay were spent in silence as the members of the group made sure to make as little noise as possible. It wasn't long until Andrew and Liza reached the door leading into the med-bay, as the woman led while the soldier made sure to aim the business-end of his rifle for any shamblers.

"Doctor Exner?" Liza weakly called out, trying not to raise her voice in case there was any infected, while she and the group cautiously entered the med-bay.

With only the doctor sitting by herself in the middle of all the deceased patients in the room, the rest of the group scattered and made sure it was infected-free while Madison went straight for the medicine shelves, taking any and all useful ones and shoving them in her bag.

"Doctor…," Liza whispered as she approached the person who got her into the compound in the first place, "We need a way out."

Sighing tiredly, Doctor Exner responded as she slightly turned her head to Liza, "You should've gone when I told you to."

"Help us," Travis insisted as he stood beside Liza, "I'll take you with my family, but we need your help."

"Where do you think your family's gonna go?" Doctor Exner asked as she straightened up her posture and looked at Travis with her exhausted expression.

"There has to be somewhere," Travis answered reluctantly, unsure himself of where to go.

"There is a way out," the doctor admitted as she looked at her slightly shaking hands, "Past the ICU, the set of stairs down. Takes you through the sublevel. You can get out. But there's nowhere to go."

Hearing this, Andrew, Travis, Daniel, and Ofelia began to move towards where they came from, intent on getting out of the compound before more of the dead came in, while Naruto and Madison waited for Liza.

"Come with us," Liza insisted as she took one more step towards the dispirited doctor, "There are people you can still help."

"Liza…," Madison softly called out to the woman as she took in the doctor's saddened state, stepping closer towards Liza and resting a hand on her shoulder, "We have to go… She's lost. Come on."

"No one's lost until they're lost," Naruto spoke up as he passed the two older women and knelt in front of the doctor. Looking up at the woman's face, Naruto casually asked, "Miss, what's your name? It can't just be Exner, can it?"

Slowly focusing her gaze towards the blonde's cerulean orbs, the doctor weakly responded, "...It's Bethany. Bethany Exner."

"Bethany…," Naruto repeated the name as he then smiled up at the doctor, "Nice to meetcha, Bethany. I'm Naruto."

Getting no further response, the blonde took a deep breath and continued, wiping the casual smile on his face, "Look, I get it. The people you swore an oath to protect and serve were abandoned by the people you worked for. Now, it feels like nothing just makes sense. You don't know who to trust, don't know who you should point your weapon at, or who you should protect. The fact is, the world, as we know it, is gone. For some reason, the dead are coming back to life. And the ones who swore to protect this country and its people turned their backs on us.

"But this doesn't have to be the end, Doc," Naruto spoke as he held both of Bethany's hands and tightly squeezed it, prompting Bethany to slightly wince and focus at the blonde, "You can die anytime, but living takes true courage. It's not over until you give up, 'cause once you submit yourself to fate, that'll be the end of it. You may not have been able to save these people here… But there are still countless others out there who need saving.

Standing up once more, still holding onto the doctor's hands, Naruto smiled down at Bethany, "I believe you have that courage, Doc. You stayed behind while telling everyone else to get to safety so you can take care of the fallen, that they don't turn into those monsters. I don't wanna let someone like you go out like this. So whaddya say?"

_Maybe this doesn't have to be the end…_, the doctor thought to herself as she glanced from left to right, taking note of the people she worked with, along with those who tried to fend off the dead, only to get bit, both of which lay around her.

Bethany then chuckled softly as she slowly pulled herself up using Naruto's arms and sighed, "For a kid, you can give a pretty convincing pep-talk. I do hope that's not the only thing you're capable of."

"Does this mean…?" Liza trailed off, not wanting to change the doctor's mind, as she reluctantly asked Bethany.

"I'm coming with," Bethany declared loud and clear as Naruto smiled triumphantly and let her go, giving her space, "Our own government turned their backs on us in our time of need. Fighting to live on is the least I can do for the people we let down. That's the least I can do…"

"Alright then!" Naruto happily exclaimed as he began walking towards the door, followed by the older blonde, "Now, let's get the hell outta here before the bitey ones decide to check on the med-bay."

Grabbing the duffel bag she prepared for when they were supposed to be evacuated out of the compound beside the cot, Bethany Exner followed Liza's little clique out of the compound.

_For those we have lost, _the doctor thought to herself as she walked alongside Liza, _For those we can yet save._

**-x-**

"So, what's the master plan?" Strand asked as he walked alongside Madison, "I assume one exists."

"What do you mean?" Madison asked in return whilst she followed Naruto and the others as the group made their way back to the parking garage.

"Have you settled on a destination, an end point?" the lavish-looking man reiterated to the blonde woman as they walked through what seems to be a maintenance shaft leading to the garage.

"We're heading east," the blonde woman responded curtly without looking back, "The desert. Should be safe there."

"It's not," Strand replied abruptly as he slightly smirked, as if he knew more than he let on.

Finally turning around to face the man out of annoyance, Madison asked rather irritatedly, "Then what do you suggest, Mr. Strand?"

"Go west," the silver-tongued man smoothly answered.

"What's west?"

"I have a home on the water. I have supplies. I'm prepared."

"Mom," Naruto interrupted as he reached the two adults, having been the one to keep an eye on their backs, "We can discuss all this when we get to the Bo-, I mean Ali and Chris."

Slightly confused, the two walked on, pausing their conversation for now.

**-x-**

"Chris?" Travis yelled out, though not too loud as to not attract any of the dead that might be in the vicinity, as he and the rest of the group entered through the door to the garage where the cars were parked, "Alicia?"

"We're here! Mom!" Alicia answered aloud as she and Chris got out of the backseat of the SUV and approached her mother and brother, "Nicky, you're alright. Where's Naruto?"

"Right here," the blonde answered from the back as he closed the door they all just previously passed through.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Naruto left Alicia's and Chris's side several minutes earlier under the guise that he would check the area just in case Madison and the others came through another way. Using the _Clone Body Switch_ jutsu, Naruto quickly switched places with the clone accompanying Andrew and the rest of the group.

"Mom! Dad!" Chris exclaimed in relief as both Liza and Chris engulfed the teen with a hug.

"Not to be that guy," Andrew chimed in, interrupting the mini family reunion, as he wrapped one arm around Ofelia who was hugging his side, "But we gotta get outta here before we attract attention."

Letting go of the brunette he was currently embracing, Naruto took a deep breath and began heading for his bike. Mounting the two-wheeled vehicle, Naruto turned to his mother, "We gotta go. Mom, what's the plan?"

"West, apparently," looking at one of their newfound companions, Madison saw Strand nod slightly as she spoke, "You have a lot to explain later, mister. Just know that. Mr. Strand, you're with me."

"I know," Nodding softly at his adoptive mother, Naruto left it at that, deciding to wait for his mother to breach the subject.

"I call shotgun!" Nick yelled casually as he reached the sedan and got into the passenger seat.

"Mom, I'm riding with Naruto," Alicia declared as her mother shook her head with a small smile. Looking at the blonde she was approaching, the brunette got on the bike and encircled her arms around Naruto's waist, "You don't mind, do you?"

"Just hold tight, Ali," the blonde grinned as he started the engine of his motorbike.

With Travis taking Liza and Chris in his pickup, Daniel, Ofelia, and Andrew rode with the doctor in the SUV. Soon the convoy was on the road, with Madison's sedan leading the front, Travis' pickup behind her, followed by the SUV, with Naruto and Alicia bringing the back in the bike.

"**Huh… I guess we didn't need to go all out this time," **Kurama chimed in, his voice sounding a little disappointed, **"Kinda anti-climactic if you ask me…"**

_I feel it_, Naruto responded silently as he followed the convoy, his eyes scanning the road ahead and noting the infected here and there, _Although I really think it's better this way… I don't think I'd be able to protect all of them in such a cramped space without using any destructive jutsu._

"**Meh, I guess…,"** the tailed beast murmured, boredom evident in his tone, **"I'm going back to sleep then."**

_Thanks for your hard work today, oh great Fox_, Naruto teased in return, earning a growl from his tenant.

With Strand's knowledge of the many roads of Los Angeles, the convoy avoided all the highways and the freeways, assuming that said roads would be blocked by traffic or worse, the dead. Instead, they opted to take the man-made river-why it was called a river, Naruto never knew, for it was as dry as the main road-down to the sea.

"I really thought things would go back to normal…," Alicia uttered loud enough for the shinobi to hear whilst she rested her chin on Naruto's shoulder, as they passed by the wreckage of a helicopter, it's now-undead pilot stuck in his seat, "That, within a few weeks, we would be back to our lives, going to highschool and dying because of exams and finals… Yet, we're driving away from home."

Feeling Alicia tighten her embrace, Naruto leaned his head gently towards Alicia and spoke, "Home isn't the place, Ali. It's the people. But I understand where you're coming from… That's why, we'll stick together, no matter what. I promise."

"Mhm…," the brunette teasingly smirked, though Naruto couldn't see that, as she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, "I know."

**-x-**

It wasn't until almost an hour later when the convoy reached their destination: A gated mansion by the cliffside, overlooking the ocean.

Getting out of the sedan as soon as the vehicle stopped in front of the second gate within the driveway, Strand stretched his limbs and tightened his necktie whilst he made his way in front of the metal gate's keypad, "Come."

"Grid's dead." Nick chimed in as he got out of the backseat and surveyed the area, taking note that the other vehicles' passengers had also begun to unload.

"Generators kick on when the power dies," Strand explained nonchalantly as he swung the gate open and walked through.

"Alright, everyone," Madison spoke aloud after she saw that everyone was out of their cars, "Get all our stuff and bring it inside."

"Copy that," Andrew responded as he and Dr. Exner grabbed their duffel bags and followed the Salazars who were now headed for the main door.

Seeing everyone go inside, Alicia then looked at Naruto who was rummaging through the duffel bag he stashed on the back of the SUV, "What are you gonna do with your bike?"

"I'm… thinking about it…," Naruto answered a bit distractedly as he grabbed a storage scroll he prepared just for this, _Like hell I'm leaving this baby here to get bombed! Not when mom, Ali, and Nicky got it for me!_

"Alright, well," Alicia started as she stretched her arms upwards, "I'm hungry so I'll go ahead, see if there's any food in the house. Don't be too long, Whiskers."

"Save me some!" Naruto turned his face to the brunette and smiled until she was out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto then unfurled the scroll, making sure to do it smoothly, and laid it on the floor, between the front and rear wheels of the motorbike. Weaving the familiar hand signs he learned from his perverted teacher, Naruto concentrated and placed both palms of his hand beside the scroll, whispering, "_**Funyu no Jutsu**__ (Enclosing Technique)_."

Within a second, smoke burst forth from the scroll and the motorbike disappeared. Looking down, the blonde smiled triumphantly as the once-empty scroll now had ink-writings on it in an outward, circular pattern, with the kanji for motorcycle centered clearly on the scroll. Picking up the scroll and rolling it once more, Naruto returned it in his duffel bag and carried it as he headed into the house.

"Alright, everyone," Strand began speaking aloud as he stood beside Andrew, who was setting his guns and his equipment on the counter, "Freshen up, take a shower if you need, and pack any food or valuables you can find. Make yourself at home."

With that, he disappeared into a corridor of the house, as the rich man headed into his room to pack his own stuff, with Chris and Alicia raiding the fridge. Ofelia decided to take Strand on his offer and take a shower in one of the bathrooms, with Andrew in-tow. Daniel began to fiddle and reload his shotgun, making sure that it was in working order.

Naruto, for his part, decided to sit down on the couch while he watched Madison and Nick talk by the cobblestone terrace.

"You good?" Alicia asked as she stood beside the couch and sucked on a popsicle stick, offering another one to the blonde, "You look tired."

"Maybe just a little. Thanks," Naruto replied as he took the popsicle and ripped the plastic wrapping it. Putting it in his mouth, Naruto then glanced to Alicia's side and saw Chris holding a glass of water, "How ya holding up, kid?"

"You're not that older than me, 'Whiskers,'" Chris bit back, though there was no negative emotion in his verbal jab as he smirked at the blonde, "But, I'm alright. Just feels surreal is all. Can't believe the dead are actually coming back to life."

"Yeah…," Naruto softly murmured as he nodded his head. Then, seeing that the terrace was now vacant, as Madison came back inside, while Nick explored the house, the blonde stood up and made his way there, "Imma get some air."

"I'm coming with," Alicia declared as she saw Liza approach Chris and talk to him. Standing beside the blonde, the two entered into small talk and just spent time with each other, with Chris soon joining the two after a couple minutes, popsicle stick in-hand, joking around with each other and trying to have a sense of normalcy after what seemed to be the most intense night they've had since this pandemic began.

All of a sudden, a gunshot echoed from somewhere nearby, prompting the teens to stop their chuckling and look around in the area. Behind them, Daniel came out to the terrace, shotgun in his hands as he, too, surveyed the surrounding.

"Let's go," Daniel decided as he began jogging towards the sound in search of the noise, "Naruto, on me. You kids stay here, let Andrew and Ofelia know."

With Alicia and Chris doing as they were told, the two went farther from the house, following the gunshot that seemed to echo from down below to the beach. Eventually reaching the sandy shores and the graffiti-filled surroundings, Daniel and Naruto realized what happened as they saw Madison and Travis kneeling beside someone lying on the ground.

Liza was dead.

**END CHAPTER 3**

**-x-**

**Author's Note: Holy hell, that was probably the longest chapter I've written… in ever! I do apologize for taking half a year to write this… After spending the first half of the half-year struggling through school, then the pandemic happened, then the switchover online classes… I also caught up with the show to top it off and, let's just say that, with the way the canon storyline is going, I don't have much love for it at the moment. Not gonna name names, but it really upset me that the show killed off two of its main characters. It just didn't make sense to me. Like, why? But that's just me.**

**There's not a lot of action, I know. I'm not that experienced with fight scenes to begin with, but I do try. Anyways, that's all from me, friends. Hope all y'all are doing alright in these trying times. Till next time!**


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